Shohei Ohtani fought through plenty of adversity to have an incredible start to the 2024 season, his first year with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
But as of late, his numbers have begun to slip, correlating with a team-wide slump offensively. Since May 28, Ohtani is batting .186 with a .660 OPS, striking out 22 times compared with only 13 hits. The Dodgers are 8-9 in that span.
Prior to May 28, Ohtani was enjoying a 1.059 on-base plus slugging, but it has dropped 103 points to .956 in the 17 games since. Slumps are undoubtedly a part of the game, but Ohtani’s struggles mirroring the team-wide issues at the plate have led to increased concern about roster construction if the superstars aren’t at their absolute best.
Ohtani, for one, isn’t worried about the recent issues. He is focused on controlling what he can control and letting the results be what they are, knowing that eventually things will turn around, according to Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“There’s always going to be stretches of ups and down – as a team and personally,” Ohtani said. “Obviously when things aren’t going well, that’s when we put everything under a microscope. My approach has been the same, just trying to put up quality at-bats.”
Things seemed to be turning around for L.A. as recently as Tuesday against the Texas Rangers. The Dodgers ran up the tally on the Rangers in their series opener with a 15-2 win, their third double-digit scoring output in five games. Manager Dave Roberts even said it felt like the precursor to a big run.
But the Rangers took the next two, holding the Dodgers to three total runs. Ohtani went 1-for-8 with a solo home run in that span. He has four hits in his last 23 at-bats, a .174 average.
But if Ohtani and Roberts are unfazed by a down stretch, there is no reason to believe this would be a lingering issue. Ohtani has slumped many times before in his first six Major League seasons, and has always found a quick way out of it.
Dodgers’ Dave Roberts explains plan for Cavan Biggio
The Dodgers recently made a trade to try and bolster the back-end of their lineup, especially against right-handed pitching, by acquiring Cavan Biggio from the Toronto Blue Jays. The left-handed bat has struggled in recent seasons, but L.A. believes he has the tools to be successful.
His defensive versatility allows him to play wherever is needed, but Roberts is hoping to primarily use him as a third baseman against righties until Max Muncy is ready to return from his oblique injury.
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