Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani will be out of the lineup for Thursday’s series finale against the San Francisco Giants and is “leaning toward” also giving him the day off Wednesday, when he will serve as the starting pitcher.
The report says Ohtani entered Tuesday’s game with just four hits in 36 at-bats this month, none of them homers, leaving his slash line at .233/.363/.404. His four hits in the last 10 games are his fewest in a 10-game span since 2022.
Roberts tied the slump to fatigue and the added mental and physical load of two-way duties, saying mechanics can suffer when a player is thinking about pitching and dealing with the tax on the body. “Giving him one day, for sure, potentially two days to reset the body, the mind, there’s only upside,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers have been more conscious of giving Ohtani extra rest by keeping him out of the lineup on his start days. The report notes Ohtani has been strictly a pitcher for three of his last four starts; in each of the last two instances, the Dodgers were limited to just one run.
Los Angeles’ offense has struggled as a whole, scoring three runs or fewer in nine of its last 12 games, and the team has cited Ohtani’s inability to create a spark from the leadoff spot as a contributing factor. The hope, per the report, is that by letting him focus on pitching and recover, Ohtani — who has a 0.97 ERA in his first six starts — can regain his offensive form.
