Shohei Ohtani clearly isn’t right.
Maybe the most talented player in the history of baseball has looked like anything but that during these playoffs. The Los Angeles Dodgers superstar is dealing with at least a right biceps and a left knee injury, and maybe more.
With the Dodgers down 2-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers, there’s plenty to be concerned about. Will Ohtani figure things out before L.A.’s season ends?
That’s the worry that has the Dodgers considering benching Ohtani for Game 3 of the NLCS, which will be played on Wednesday.
The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo reported that consideration after Game 2 of the NLCS.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did tell reporters that he’d have a conversation about a potential benching with Ohtani on Tuesday, the day between games.
“Ohtani’s at-bats have been unrecognizable,” Rosenthal and Woo wrote. “Throughout October, a clearly compromised Ohtani has been getting beat on fastballs, and he’s rarely pulling the ball or hitting it hard, two staples of his swing. He was dropped to fifth in the batting order ahead of Game 3 of the Division Series, the lowest he’s hit in a lineup since 2020. He has attempted to shorten his swing and slap balls the other way; a single to the opposite field in Game 1 of the NLCS had an exit velocity of 74 mph.”
Ohtani went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in Game 2 of the NLCS. On the first pitch of his second at bat against Logan Henderson, Ohtani was aggressive in swinging at a 94 MPH first-pitch fastball that was pretty much right down the middle. He whiffed.
These struggles aren’t just based in October, either.
More Shohei Ohtani Struggle Details
The Athletic notes that Ohtani hasn’t homered since August 18, and since August 19, he has just one RBI while hitting 14-for-90 in that stretch.
“Benching Ohtani requires far more than a conversation between player and manager, and the Dodgers have made no formal decisions,” Rosenthal and Woo write. “Any decision about Ohtani’s playing time will also include president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman, among others.”
Who Would Replace Shohei Ohtani?
According to the article in The Athletic, it would be the rookie Josue De Paula in the lineup if Ohtani is benched.
“According to a team source, if the Dodgers elect to sit Ohtani, who has dealt with injury concerns this season, rookie Josue De Paula would be the top candidate to take his place as designated hitter in the starting lineup,” Rosenthal and Woo write. “The source spoke anonymously so as to freely discuss the potential decision.”
De Paula was one of the top prospects in baseball before his promotion to the majors this season.
“De Paula, who made his big-league debut in mid-September, has less than 50 plate appearances under his belt,” Rosenthal and Woo write. “However, in his short time in the majors, he impressed Dodgers brass with his elite plate discipline — enough so that he made the NLDS and NLCS rosters.”
De Paula has gotten just three pinch-hit plate appearances so far in the playoffs and has a pair of walks.
It would be a shock to baseball if Ohtani got benched, and it’d be up to De Paula to prove the Dodgers right for such a move. That’s some pressure to put on the kid, for sure.
If Dodgers Bench Shohei Ohtani, This Is Who Would Replace Him