The Los Angeles Dodgers moved Shohei Ohtani to the No. 5 spot in the lineup for Game 3 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves. Ohtani returned from the injured list with a biceps issue shortly before the beginning of the postseason, but didn't perform at his best in his final five games before October. He logged five hits in 21 at-bats, striking out eight times with only one extra-base hit.
In the postseason, Ohtani has two hits in eight at-bats, but struggled with chasing pitches in the Dodgers' Game 2 loss against the Braves. He chased on 53% of his 19 swings, which may have forced manager Dave Roberts to make the change. It’s hard to square up, put good swings on balls out of zone. [Braves Game 3 starter Chris] Sale is going to be tough, trying to get him back in the hitting zone,” Roberts said.
His position in the lineup Tuesday is the lowest it has ever been as a Dodger, and is the lowest he has been in any lineup since his time with the Angels in 2020. In a press conference on Monday, Roberts acknowledged he was open to the idea of moving Ohtani lower than second in the lineup, where he batted in the second game of the NLDS. Every conversation I’ve had with him that’s whatever is best for the team, he’s all in on it." Ohtani got off to a great start to the season, fulfilling his two-way duties in an extremely impressive fashion, but struggled to remain healthy throughout the year.
A knee injury took him off of the mound early in July, and his lingering biceps injury saw him miss most of the final month of the season. He made just 14 starts on the mound during the regular season, posting a 1.79 ERA in 85.2 innings pitched with 95 strikeouts. In the batter's box, Ohtani hit 30 homers and drove in 81 runs over the course of 139 games, posting a .889 OPS — his lowest since 2022 with the Angels.
Roberts will hope Ohtani's move in the lineup will help him reset and rediscover his All-Star form as the Dodgers look to win an all-important Game 3 on Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.
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