Shohei Ohtani draws a lot of attention wherever he's playing, something that has only increased since Major League Baseball began an investigation into his former interpreter's alleged involvement in illegal gambling.

"Regardless of whatever happens off the field, my ability to continue to play baseball hasn't changed. It's my job to make sure that I play to the best of my abilities," he said through his new interpreter, Will Ireton, before the Los Angeles Dodgers played the Minnesota Twins on Monday.

Ohtani, whose recovery from Tommy John elbow surgery is preventing him from pitching this season, has granted few interviews since signing a $700 million deal with the Dodgers. 

Asked how he's been handling the absence of his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, after his close friend was fired for an alleged theft from Ohtani's accounts to cover illegal gambling losses and a connection to a bookmaker under IRS investigation, the Japanese sensation said he's doing just fine.

"It's only been a couple weeks since then, and it's not like I've been doing much aside from just being at the hotel or at home," Ohtani said. "I'm just really grateful and thankful that the team and the personnel has supported me throughout this process."