The Los Angeles Dodgers are managing Shohei Ohtani with October in mind. Ohtani remains a force in the lineup, but the club has paused his pitching program while it monitors a left knee issue. That decision reflects the value of protecting a two-way star when the division race and postseason remain the larger goals.
August got off to a terrible start for Los Angeles. After a 9-4 loss on July 31 against the Boston Red Sox, the Dodgers went on to lose six straight, getting swept by both Boston and the Chicago Cubs, and suffering a walk-off loss to division rival Arizona on August 7th. Since then, they have won 3 of the last 4 games.
Los Angeles enters the next phase of its schedule with a 72–48 record and a 7.5-game lead in the National League West. The Dodgers remain listed around +155 to win the 2026 World Series. According to Rollambia Canada, an online sportsbook and casino that lists and tracks baseball futures.
The plan became clearer this week. Tarik Skubal has joined the rotation, Blake Snell is back from the injured list, and the Dodgers have more options than they did during the injury-heavy part of the summer. Their challenge is not simply collecting talented arms. It is setting workloads, finding reliable relief innings, and deciding which starters are best suited for a short postseason series.
Ohtani’s role sits at the center of that process. The Dodgers can afford to take a conservative path because he still impacts games as their designated hitter. They do not need to force pitching innings in August if doing so would risk his knee or compromise his availability in October.
Ohtani Workload Is The Priority
The Dodgers have handled Ohtani differently because no other player carries his combination of responsibilities. Every pitching start comes with the physical demands of his regular offensive role. The team had already adjusted its rotation earlier in the season to give him extra recovery time. Now, with the knee irritation requiring attention, pitching is on hold rather than the calendar dictating his return.
That is load management with a clear purpose. The Dodgers want Ohtani available as a middle-of-the-order hitter every day and potentially as a high-impact starter in the postseason. A September ramp-up could still give him time to build toward October, but only if the knee responds well. The club should not chase regular-season volume at the expense of its biggest advantage.
A six-man rotation can help when Ohtani returns to the mound. It gives every starter more recovery time and limits the need to push anyone through fatigue. It also creates flexibility around off days, especially if Los Angeles wants to line up specific starters against potential postseason opponents.
The trade for Skubal gives the Dodgers more room to be patient. He made his home debut Aug. 10 against the Kansas City Royals and allowed three runs on four hits in five innings. He struck out six in the Dodgers’ 6-5 win. His first outing with the club came five days earlier at Wrigley Field, where he allowed two runs over six innings against the Chicago Cubs.
Skubal did not arrive to carry the staff alone. He arrived to reduce the pressure on everyone else. That matters most for Ohtani, whose workload has to be judged by how he feels and how his knee responds, not by a fixed target for innings or starts.
Snell Deepens The October Picture
Snell’s return on Aug. 11 provided the Dodgers with a powerful reminder of what their rotation can become. After missing three months because of loose bodies in his left elbow, the left-hander struck out 10 Royals over six innings and allowed one run. Los Angeles won 5-4 in 10 innings.
The outing did not erase the need for careful handling. Snell made only one start before his extended absence, so the Dodgers still must build his workload with intention. But six innings and 10 strikeouts offered a far better first step than a short, unstable outing would have. Snell has the swing-and-miss profile to change a postseason game when his command is sharp.
The preferred October group is easy to identify. Skubal, Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and a healthy Ohtani give the Dodgers four front-line starters. Tyler Glasnow remains another high-upside possibility as he works back from lower-back issues. Roki Sasaki has also changed the conversation with a stronger second half.
Sasaki allowed three or more runs in each of his final five starts before the All-Star break. Since then, he has found more consistent command and regained the quality of his fastball-splitter combination. He entered this recent stretch with a 1.88 ERA after the break and a rising strikeout rate. The Dodgers do not need to lock him into a specific October role today. They need him to continue proving he can attack lineups more than once through the order.
The same is true for the pitchers at the back of the rotation. Justin Wrobleski has shown the wear of a long season after carrying meaningful innings while the staff dealt with injuries. His recent starts have put more strain on the bullpen and reinforced the value of adding Skubal and getting Snell back. Wrobleski’s 2026 workload had already reached the 118-inning range in early August, essentially matching last year’s professional high.
Emmet Sheehan has faced a tougher season-long problem. He posted a 5.29 ERA through 20 starts before the Dodgers optioned him to Triple-A Oklahoma City at the trade deadline. His stuff still gives him a path back into the picture, but the Dodgers no longer need to treat him as a permanent rotation answer. A strong stretch in Triple-A could make him a multi-inning option later, but postseason roles must be earned.
Bullpen Must Stabilize
The rotation depth offers protection, not a complete solution. The Dodgers’ bullpen has struggled since the trade deadline, even after Edwin Díaz returned from the injured list. Díaz has dealt with uneven command in his first games back, while the broader relief group has failed too often to protect leads or keep deficits manageable.
That remains the clearest October concern. A deeper rotation can shorten games, but postseason series still hinge on high-leverage outs in the sixth through ninth innings. The Dodgers need Díaz to regain his closer form and need more dependable bridge options before October arrives.
The coming weeks should function as a test lab. Los Angeles can use its division lead to manage Ohtani, protect Snell’s buildup, watch Sasaki’s progress, and determine whether Wrobleski or Sheehan can offer depth. The Dodgers have assembled a rotation with rare upside. Their postseason ceiling will depend on whether that group reaches October healthy and whether the bullpen can finally turn talent into clean late innings.
