Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts says the gambling scandal surrounding Shohei Ohtani isn't a distraction for the club.

Ohtani will speak with the media on Monday for the first time since Major League Baseball opened an investigation into allegations that his longtime interpreter Ippei Mizuhara -- since fired by the Dodgers -- had placed illegal bets on non-baseball sports.

The accused bookmaker, Matthew Bowyer, has denied through his lawyer that he ever talked to or met Ohtani, but Mizuhara originally claimed that Ohtani voluntarily paid off his gambling debts.

Roberts thinks it'll be "good" for Ohtani to speak with the media about the situation. He reiterated that he does not believe the Ohtani-Mizuhara story has been a distraction to the rest of the clubhouse.