Shohei Ohtani is getting a break from the batter’s box for one day and possibly longer.
The struggling Los Angeles Dodgers superstar is 4 for 36 at the plate this month, with just six home runs on the season and none in May. He’s batting .233 with 16 RBIs.
Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Ohtani would not be in lineup as the designated hitter on Thursday, although he would be available late if the outcome hangs in the balance. Roberts said he had yet to decide but was leaning toward not having Ohtani hit Wednesday, when he starts on the mound against the San Francisco Giants.
“It might just be a good thing to take a little bit of a load off of his plate offensively,” Roberts said. “I just can’t take for granted what’s on his plate and so I’m trying to be sensitive.”
As Ohtani goes, so have the Dodgers (24-17). They began Tuesday a half-game behind NL West-leading San Diego, having lost three in a row. Andy Pages (.325 average) and Max Muncy (.280) have been LA’s best hitters so far, while the rest of the lineup is struggling, including Freddie Freeman (.273) and Kyle Tucker (.250).
Ohtani is in his first full season as a two-way player for the Dodgers. Coming off two major right elbow surgeries, he was limited to the DH role in 2024, when he created the 50/50 club, with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, was named NL MVP and the Dodgers won the World Series.
Last year, Ohtani didn’t return to the mound until midseason. He wasn’t built up to pitching six innings until September and offensively, he hit 55 home runs and had 20 stolen bases. He repeated as NL MVP and the Dodgers won the World Series again.
This season, he has had no innings restrictions on the mound, where he’s been dominant. The right-hander is 2-2 with a 0.97 ERA to go with 42 strikeouts and 37 innings pitched over six starts. He’s allowed just four earned runs and 21 hits.
“He’s still calibrating on this kind of newfound two-way player,” Roberts said.
Roberts has said Ohtani is willing to do whatever the team needs, but at the same time, the manager knows the team’s most valuable asset needs to be protected from himself.
“He’s always going to want to do more,” Roberts said. “He has that sense of responsibility to his teammates that he wants to be out there on both ways. I’ve learned that I have to be proactive and take it out of his hands.”
Roberts has seen enough to decide that taking the bat out of Ohtani’s hands might help him reset.
“When the quality of at-bats starts to go down consistently, I think that’s a sign that there needs to be a break because you’re just not able to stay within your game plan and then the chase starts to spike,” he said. “The fatigue is bleeding into the mechanics. Most players get that towards the end of the summer. Now I’m learning managing Shohei it’s probably showing itself a little earlier as far as the tax on pitching and all that comes with it to the hitting, too.”
Ohtani isn’t used to not hitting; he’s had just three games so far this season in which he wasn’t the DH. Roberts suggested he show up late on Thursday.
The Dodgers knew in spring training that having Ohtani return to being a full-time two-way player for the first time since 2023 with the Los Angeles Angels would be challenging.
“It definitely feels sustainable,” Roberts said. “I wouldn’t say it’s more difficult. I think that we all came in knowing that we had to read and react, it was going to be fluid. It should be. It’s very unique.”
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