Shohei Ohtani was out of the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for only the third time this season when he took the mound against the Houston Astros on Tuesday.
Ohtani was originally scheduled to take on two-way responsibilities, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts changed those plans after watching the 31-year-old struggle in the series opener. The four-time MVP was mired in an 0-for-17 skid with six walks and four strikeouts over his last five games.
“I do,” Roberts answered on SportsNet LA when asked if he believes Ohtani’s offensive struggles are from fatigue because of how demanding his two-way role is.
“With pitching, there’s the day of the start, what it takes on your mind in the box. The day after, you’re hitting, the tax on your body and what you endured the day before in your outing. So that affects the hitting. That’s two days right there.
“So obviously when I write his name in the lineup, I feel very good about writing Shohei’s name in the lineup every time. But I do think with what he’s done on the pitching side and how well he’s pitched, there’s been a little bit of fallback or whatever on the hitting. But I do think it will correct itself as time goes on.”
When asked to specify what has plagued Ohtani at the plate, Roberts attributed the physical toll from pitching and having less time to work on his swing when he game plans for his upcoming starts.
“I think it’s both,” Roberts began. “Because I think the time, the physical part of it, would cut into the physical part of the pitching, right?
“So that’s why he can’t go full bore into working on his swing, grinding through it, to right himself when his mechanics aren’t where they need to be. Because there’s the diminishing returns with the pitching. It’s kind of a balancing act, and I think he’s doing a really fine job of it.
“Just like the other day here, he took BP on the field early, two days before his start, to give himself time to recover for tonight. So there’s things he’s working on and kind of trying to evolve and read the team. Or read-and-react, kind of thing.”
As the Dodgers look for solutions to help manage Ohtani’s workload as a two-way player, Roberts said he will consider all options.
“I think everything is on the table,” Roberts said. “It’s certainly up for consideration, absolutely. But again, I don’t know what the right answer is outside of not playing him. We’re better when he’s in the lineup. He’s still a presence. There’s no pitcher out there that would prefer to not have him in the lineup.
“Everything is on the table.”
Shohei Ohtani ends slump?
Ohtani was back in the lineup Wednesday and found success in the Dodgers’ blowout win. He finished 2-for-4 with one double, one walk and one RBI.
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