Shohei Ohtani will be in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup for their National League Division Series opener against the Atlanta Braves on Saturday despite admitting he is not fully healthy.
The four-time Most Valuable Player is still dealing with right biceps and left knee issues. Those problems forced him onto the 15-day injured list in September.
Ohtani returned late in the regular season but struggled at the plate. He went 5-for-21 (.238) with one double and one RBI in his final five games.
Ohtani managing lingering injuries
The Dodgers star also struggled over his final 18 games as the designated hitter. He went 11-for-70 (.157), with no home runs and one RBI.
Speaking about his health on Friday through an interpreter, Ohtani said, “I haven’t been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this. I think that process is going to happen during the offseason when I’m going to have a little bit more time to be able to address it. But as of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed that Ohtani will remain in the lineup despite his condition.
“Shohei’s not 100%, but he’s going to be in the lineup. … I think that most players that are performing now are not 100%. Obviously with Shohei, it’s a bigger deal because of the player, but there’s a lot of players that are not 100%, and they’ve just got to manage it. …”
Ohtani has also been ruled out of pitching during the postseason. He has not taken the mound since July 3.
Ohtani focused on hitting
During his injured-list stint, Ohtani shifted his attention fully to hitting after learning he would not pitch again this season.
“During the IL (stint), I pretty much knew I wasn’t going to pitch the rest of the season,” Ohtani said. “So I did focus on just the hitting aspect of the game and coming to understand and wanting to execute and try new things when I came back. So, those were the things that I really took the IL time to think through what I wanted to try when I was back in action.”
Despite Ohtani’s recent struggles, Roberts expects him to perform when the postseason begins.
“I know that once the lights turn on, the postseason starts, the focus will be heightened. I expect good things. I really do. We just haven’t seen it enough … for me to forecast it.”
Leave a Reply