The Los Angeles Dodgers are reportedly considering leaving Shohei Ohtani out of the starting lineup as they try to avoid falling further behind in the National League Championship Series.
The Athletic reported Monday that the Dodgers planned to discuss whether to sit Ohtani for Game 3 of the best-of-seven NLCS.
The Dodgers lost 7-4 to the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 2 on Monday, falling behind 2-0 in the series. Game 3 is scheduled for 5 p.m. Wednesday in Los Angeles.
"It's obviously not a good situation. Shohei isn’t feeling great physically, either," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after the game. "We're going to talk with him and figure out what’s best for him and what's best for our team."
Roberts did not say Ohtani would definitely be left out of the lineup, but confirmed the possibility was under consideration.
Ohtani has been playing through injuries to his right upper arm and left knee since at least June. He also spent time on the 15-day injured list in September.
The effects of the injuries began to show more clearly at the plate in early August. Over his past 35 games, including the regular season and postseason, Ohtani is batting .197 with a .629 OPS.
His lack of power has been particularly costly. Ohtani’s last home run came Aug. 18 at Coors Field. He has since gone 110 consecutive plate appearances without a homer, including the postseason, surpassing his previous career-long drought of 104 plate appearances spanning 2022 and 2023. He has driven in only one run since his last homer.
Ohtani is 3-for-20 with a .150 batting average this postseason, with all three hits singles. He has struck out seven times and drawn three walks. He began the Division Series batting second before later moving to the cleanup spot.
If Ohtani is left out of the Game 3 starting lineup, top prospect Josue De Paula could serve as the designated hitter.
De Paula, ranked the No. 4 overall prospect by MLB Pipeline, was promoted directly from Double-A after Ohtani went on the injured list in September. He reached base in half of his 42 plate appearances during his brief major league stint.
(This article was produced with the assistance of AI. — Ed.)
