Shohei Ohtani is no longer a lock to be on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup card for Game 3 of the NLCS.
The four-time MVP looked like a replacement-level player in Monday’s Game 2 against the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field in Milwaukee, Wis. Ohtani went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the 7-4 loss, including a particularly embarrassing whiff where Shohei had trouble even holding onto the bat.
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was asked about potentially sitting Ohtani for Wednesday’s pivotal Game 3 as the series shifts to L.A. The Dodgers skipper did not rule out the possibility, stating he would have a “conversation” with his star the following day.
“Yeah, I mean obviously it hasn’t been good,” Roberts told The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
“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.”
Ohtani has been dealing with knee and biceps issues since before the MLB All-Star break, injuries that eventually pushed the Dodgers to shut Shohei down as a pitcher for the rest of the year.
In early September, the Dodgers’ two-way star expressed a desire to focus exclusively on hitting. But even that side of his game has abandoned him in postseason play. Ohtani’s hitless Game 2 dropped him to 3-for-20 (.150) in the playoffs without a single extra-base hit and seven strikeouts.
