Los Angeles Dodgers Announce Shohei Ohtani Decision Before Reds Game

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Dave Roberts issued a murky injury update on Shohei Ohtani after he missed his second-straight game for the Dodgers

After sweeping the Washington Nationals over the weekend, the Los Angeles Dodgers are beginning a new series in MLB on Labor Day Monday.

They are squaring off against the Cincinnati Reds and hope to keep their 4-game winning streak alive against Reds’ starter Chase Burns. The Dodgers lineup has looked a little different over the past four games, as Shohei Ohtani has not been featured in it. However, the Dodgers have had no problems winning without Ohtani, which is a good sign.

Shohei Ohtani has been battling a few different lingering ailments, but the main reason for his absence from the lineup is his struggles at the plate. Well, before the Reds game on Monday, the Dodgers made a notable Shohei Ohtani lineup announcement.

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Shohei Ohtani Back Leading Off on Monday

For the Dodgers series opener against the Reds, Shohei Ohtani is back in his usual leadoff spot in the batting order.

Per @FabianArdaya: “Shohei Ohtani is back in the Dodgers lineup.”

@DodgerBlue revealed the full Dodgers order here:

Dodgers’ reporter for The Athletic, Katie Woo, said on a recent podcast appearance (about Shohei’s injury):

“Maybe he wasn’t as honest with how much discomfort he was in. And, to be fair, Clayton Kershaw, Freddie Freeman, they’re not going to say ‘I’m not feeling great, I’m going to take the day.”

It will be very interesting to see how Shohei Ohtani performs in his first few games after his four-game hiatus.

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Do the Dodgers Need Shohei Ohtani Healthy to Win World Series?

Do the Dodgers need Shohei Ohtani to win the World Series?

Reports have already surfaced that Ohtani will be a primary DH, and is likely shut down from pitching for the remainder of the year.

That said, what the Dodgers really need is Shohei Ohtani to break out of his slump, which is plausible during this series with the Reds. While Cincinnati is throwing ace Chase Burns on Monday, the Reds rotation lightens after that, with Nick Lodolo and Rhett Lowder getting the starts on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Dodgers have proven in years past (2024) that they don’t need Ohtani to be Superman to win the Fall Classic, but this rendition of the Dodgers may need all the offensive help it can get.