The Los Angeles Dodgers are tempering expectations for superstar Shohei Ohtani as he struggles to make much of an impact at the plate.
It is no mystery that Ohtani is dealing with injuries all over his body, with his neck, right arm, and left knee all causing some discomfort.
Why Ohtani will continue to play every day
However, Ohtani is still set to play every NLCS game and will likely play the rest of the postseason for the Dodgers.
He went 2-for-13 in the NLDS with two walks, putting together some quality at-bats and seemingly getting more comfortable as time went on, but nowhere near the feared slugger he is known as.
Still, manager Dave Roberts will ride it out with Ohtani.
“Outside of (Game 3 starter Chris) Sale, I thought he did a good job of controlling the zone. I saw some better swings,” Roberts said to the media, including Dodgers Nation.
“There’s nothing right now I’m going to hang my hat on outside of, I just believe in the person and the talent.
“I do think that getting a couple days out of a game environment to kind of work on his swing, rest the body, rest the mind is a benefit. I’m just never going to count Shohei out.”
How will the Dodgers use Ohtani?
According to Roberts, Ohtani will hit somewhere from 2-5 in the batting order, depending on how he looks during workouts and in his baseball activities.
Roberts made the bold call to move Ohtani down the batting order in Game 3 of the NLDS against Chris Sale, hitting him fifth, but only bumped him up to fourth in Game 4.
The good news for the Dodgers is that Ohtani has said rest is the best medicine for his current injuries, and the team has not played since Thursday.
He will have some time off his feet, and even if he is compromised, Roberts thinks the Brewers will respect Ohtani enough to give him opportunities to walk, and the onus is on the Japanese star to punish any aggressiveness from the pitching staff.
“If he’s in the batter’s box, he’s still a threat,” Roberts said Saturday to Dodgers Nation and other media. “He swung the bat well against these guys last postseason.
“Their memories — those pitchers, their memories are long. Now it’s just up to Shohei to understand that and control the strike zone. They’re just not going to give in to him regardless of how he might be swinging the bat over the last couple months, in my opinion.”
The Dodgers saw that impact in the NLDS when Ohtani drew a five-pitch walk in Game 4, stole a base, forced an errant throw, and later scored.
At the very least, LA will be hoping for more moments like that, with any hitting production being gravy.
