Dodgers hope keeping Ohtani out of lineup in back-to-back games provides needed reset

This story was excerpted from Sonja Chen’s Dodgers Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

Shohei Ohtani has been a sure thing atop the Dodgers' lineup since 2024, but amid a season-opening slump, the two-way superstar is getting a rare two-game breather as a hitter.

After serving one-way duties on the mound on Wednesday night, Ohtani will be out of the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Giants at Dodger Stadium. It marks the first time in Ohtani's Dodgers career that he has been on the active roster and out of the starting lineup in back-to-back games.

Manager Dave Roberts felt that Ohtani not hitting when he started on the mound, as he has done three other times this season, was not a sufficient opportunity to reset because of the mental and physical toll of pitching. On Thursday, Roberts would like to see Ohtani show up late to the ballpark and take his time with his usual gameday routine -- and then, as the game goes on, prepare to potentially pinch-hit in a big situation.

Ohtani has not performed up to his usual standards at the plate, slashing .240/.370/.427 with seven homers through 39 games. For Roberts, the decision to sit Ohtani was based more around what the manager was seeing rather than the numbers alone.

“For me, with any hitter, when the quality of at-bat starts to go down consistently, I think that’s a telling sign there needs to be a break," Roberts said. "Because you’re just not able to -- whether it’s the mechanics, the mind -- stay within your game plan, and then the chase starts to spike."

Roberts finalized this plan ahead of Tuesday's game against the Giants, when Ohtani went 2-for-4 with his first home run since April 26, and only his second in his past 113 plate appearances. That was the best Ohtani had looked at the plate in several days, but the strong performance did not sway the Dodgers' decision.

"I don't think that sitting for two days is going to get him off of what he was doing," Roberts said. "He's very in-tune with his body, his mechanics, and the goal is to let his body kind of reset. I do think that the [four] at-bats last night that he took, squared it up and hit the home run the other way, is on the right track."

Said Ohtani, through interpreter Will Ireton: "I talked to the team, and I’m good with it. My last at-bat as a hitter [Tuesday] was really good, so I want to continue that momentum whenever I get to hit again. … Tomorrow’s a day for me to work on that and make sure that that’s really my body, and to make sure that I can do that during a game."

This season marks the first time that Ohtani has been a full-time two-way player from the start since 2023. That means his workload has been much different than the past two seasons, as he didn't complete his rehab from a second major surgery on his right elbow until June of last year.

Ohtani hasn't looked taxed as a pitcher, leading the Majors with a 0.82 ERA and completing at least six innings in all seven of his starts. But as a hitter, this season-opening stretch has, by many measures, been his worst since 2022 -- which happens to be an interesting point of comparison because that was the first season under the "Ohtani rule," which allows two-way players to remain in the game as the DH following a start on the mound.

Ohtani's first 39 games in 2022: .253/.310/.456, eight homers, 13 walks, 40 strikeouts

Ohtani's first 39 games in 2026: .240/.370/.427, seven homers, 28 walks, 44 strikeouts

Back in 2022, Ohtani caught fire in June and didn't look back, finishing the season hitting .273 with an .875 OPS. He's had better hitting seasons, but it was his best two-way year to date, as he went 15-9 with a 2.33 ERA in 28 starts. It's the only time in his big league career that he's pitched enough innings (166) to qualify as a pitcher.

The Dodgers are confident that once Ohtani gets his swing back, it will be easier for him to handle his normal two-way workload. While L.A. will miss his bat in the lineup, the team is hopeful that this reset will be just what Ohtani needs.

"He’s always gonna want to do more. He always has that sense of responsibility to his teammates, that he wants to be out there both ways," Roberts said. "So I’ve learned that I have to be proactive and take it out of his hands, like most great players.”