The biggest question in baseball has been settled. Shohei Ohtani will stay in the Dodgers’ starting lineup for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday night.
Manager Dave Roberts made this announcement during an off-day workout on Tuesday, confirming Ohtani’s continued role as the designated hitter, despite his struggles at the plate that have stemmed from injuries to his left knee and right arm.
In the 24 hours leading up to this decision, there had been rampant speculation regarding a possible benching for Ohtani. After a dismal performance in Game 2 against the Brewers, where he went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts, the Dodgers found themselves in a challenging 2-0 hole in the series.
Ohtani’s batting average has dropped to .150 during the playoffs, and he hasn’t recorded any extra-base hits or RBIs, which made Roberts at least consider sitting the four-time MVP in his postgame remarks to The Athletic.
However, someone familiar with the situation indicated that the choice would ultimately rely on Ohtani’s self-assessment of his health and ability to perform as the designated hitter for the reigning champions.
Apparently, Ohtani felt ready enough to keep his position as the Dodgers strive to avoid falling into a 3-0 series deficit, a situation that only one team in MLB history has ever managed to overcome in a seven-game playoff format.
As October approached, the Dodgers were aware that managing Ohtani’s injuries would be challenging. He had not been fully healthy since June, when a left knee issue sidelined him from pitching duties. Additionally, problems with his right arm had intensified toward the end of the regular season, necessitating a two-week stint on the injured list in September and contributing to a home run slump that has persisted since August 18.
Despite these setbacks, the team remained hopeful about the contributions the 32-year-old slugger could make in the postseason.
Even after registering just two hits in the NL Division Series and being moved down the batting order from the second to the fourth or fifth spots, both Roberts and president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman were confident that Ohtani would find a way to impact the game more consistently.
So far, that hasn’t materialized. Ohtani’s performance on Monday marked his worst showing yet in the playoffs, as he recorded two strikeouts, failed to reach base, and appeared noticeably out of sync, making several uncharacteristic swings.
It was concerning enough for the team to reconsider Ohtani’s status. Ultimately, though, they opted not to take the significant step of benching him—at least for now.
