Shohei Ohtani is in the midst of an MVP-caliber season with the Los Angeles Dodgers but has cooled down at the plate over the last week like many of his teammates.
The 29-year-old is playing through a left hamstring contusion that he sustained after being hit in the leg by a pickoff throw during the last homestand.
The injury has limited Ohtani on the basepaths to a degree, which was evident when he did not run at full speed while legging out a triple in Saturday’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.
However, Ohtani does not believe the hamstring trouble has anything to do with his recent slump, via Bill Plunkett of the Southern California News Group:
“I don’t think so. Obviously, the leg isn’t that great, but I don’t personally think it’s affecting the swing,” he said through his interpreter early Monday afternoon at Citi Field before news that the day’s game had been postponed. The Dodgers and Mets will play a doubleheader on Tuesday.
In some positive news, Ohtani said his hamstring is improving by the day:
Ohtani said his left hamstring is “getting better day by day.” His back issue caused him to miss the Dodgers’ game May 12 in San Diego but he said it feels “pretty good” now.
“I’ve been working out and making sure that’s in a good place,” Ohtani said
Ohtani entered Tuesday’s doubleheader against the New York Mets just 8-for-his-last-28, but his offensive woes come at a time in which the Dodgers lineup has collectively struggled.
Since May 10, the Dodgers rank 28th in batting average and runners in scoring position. The lack of production is the main culprit behind the team’s season-worst five-game losing streak.
Shohei Ohtani lost sleep over gambling scandal
The start of Ohtani’s first season with the Dodgers was marred because of a gambling scandal involving his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, who admitted to stealing nearly $17 million from the two-way star to pay off gambling debts.
Mizuhara has since been charged, but Ohtani admitted that he lost sleep over the incident, which initially prevented him from keeping a consistent routine.
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