The Los Angeles Dodgers will not bench superstar Shohei Ohtani after exploring the decision following their Game 2 defeat against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Ohtani struggled in Game 2, striking out twice and failing to reach base for the first time in the 2026 postseason. He has three hits and three walks through six games, though he is clearly playing through some lingering injuries which hampered his ability to perform in the regular season as well. After Game 2, manager Dave Roberts said he’d speak with Ohtani about potentially sitting him for the third game of the series.
“Yeah, I mean obviously it hasn’t been good,” Roberts said. “He doesn’t feel great. I think for me, it’s having a conversation with him tomorrow, kind of try to figure out what’s best for him, what’s best for us.
“He certainly has earned that conversation and deserves it. I’ll have (that conversation) with him tomorrow.”
During their off day on Tuesday, though, Roberts said Ohtani, is “adamant” on remaining in the lineup and helping the team beat the Brewers.
“In this moment, we’re listening to Shohei and we’re supporting the crap out of him and that’s it,” Roberts said.
What is Shohei Ohtani Dealing With?
Ohtani had a number of injuries impact his 2026 season, but the main two were the inflammation he felt in his knee and biceps. Ohtani’s knee injury kept him off of the mound after July 3, and his biceps landed him on the injured list midway through September.
Despite those injuries, though, Ohtani insists he is “ready to go” for the upcoming three-game stretch at Dodger Stadium.
While he maintains his spot in the lineup, Roberts will keep Ohtani towards the middle of the order, revealing he will bat between second and sixth for Game 3.
Josue De Paula would have been the player to step in for Ohtani, and has been solid throughout his time in MLB—whether that came in the regular season or postseason. He has reached base twice in his three plate appearances this October, and could find himself replacing Ohtani if his struggles persist.
For the time being, though, Ohtani will remain in the lineup and look to cut the Brewers’ series lead in half in Wednesday’s game, which starts at 5:00 p.m. PT.
3 Responses
So now we let the players decide how to manage and what is best for the team? It is Shohei Ohtani and he has done great things for this team since he began. But….. we are in the playoffs and down 2-0, and everyone has watched the downfall by injury or something else, but it has affected this line up. Ohtani will not look better for game 3 or game 4, we know something is amiss, the team knows this too, so we decide to do nothing?? We have a roster waiting to perform and we are down 2-0 and hoping to see a change? There is no margin for error, and this is not the right choice but unfortunately us fans will be the ones to go through it.
Ohtani is of course saying the right things, great players want to play, but at the expense of the other 25 players that are healthy and fighting for another championship.
So the team has to bow to what Ohtani says. This goes to show that Roberts has no say on how to manage the team. Even a blind man can see that Ohtani is hurting the team with his horrible at bats. Hope I am wrong but he will go 0 fors tomorrow and Roberts will say he had good at bats.
So the team has to bow to what Ohtani says. This goes to show that Roberts has no say on how to manage the team.