The Los Angeles Dodgers are set to welcome back Shohei Ohtani this week after spending the minimum amount of time on the 15-day injured list with an official designation of right biceps inflammation, though he has also been plagued by persistent left knee trouble.
Ohtani is expected to be activated ahead of Wednesday’s game against the San Diego Padres and will likely return to his familiar leadoff spot in the Dodgers lineup.
“Yeah, I mean, I think that’s my first kind of thought,” manager Dave Roberts said when asked if Ohtani will lead off when he returns. “But until he gets back, or when he gets back, then I’ll kind of potentially read and react if it’s a left-right situation, or just supplant him back there in the one. So I haven’t really thought too much about it.”
Ohtani has been the Dodgers’ leadoff man all season when healthy, but his production has dropped over the past month due to the aforementioned injuries. He’s hitting just .139/.262/.222 with two extra-base hits and no RBI over his last nine games.
With Ohtani on the injured list, Mookie Betts received several opportunities in the leadoff spot and made the most of them. He went 9-for-16 (.563) with four doubles, two home runs and six RBI in four games. He has batted leadoff in six overall games this season.
Roberts didn’t rule out going back to Betts as the Dodgers’ leadoff man in the event Ohtani continues to struggle.
“Yeah, I think that certainly there is uncertainty with Shohei, all the while, expecting to be back,” Roberts began. “But you do got to prepare for whatever, and I just think that Mookie is swinging the bat well, has hit there many times throughout his career, so it just kind of makes sense.”
Betts has plenty of experience leading off games, and his recent resurgence at the plate makes him a reliable fallback option for Roberts and the Dodgers if Ohtani isn’t able to get back on track.
Betts has enjoyed a scorching month of September, hitting .373/.468/.746 with 13 extra-base hits and 20 RBI across 17 games.
Shohei Ohtani expected to play every game after returning
If Ohtani returns on Wednesday against the Padres, he will have only five regular season games to prepare for the playoffs. The two-way star won’t go on a Minor League rehab assignment due to it being so late in the season.
“Absolutely. He’ll need those live at-bats,” Roberts said when asked if he plans to play Ohtani through the end of the regular season.
That’s going to represent a change from when Ohtani was last active. He missed four consecutive games and then was out of the lineup again one day after returning on Sept. 7. That wound up leading to the stint on the injured list.
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