LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani has not looked like himself at the plate for a while, but a concerning 0-for-4, four-strikeout performance on Wednesday night led to the Dodgers keeping the two-way superstar out of the starting lineup for Thursday night's finale against the Cardinals.
Ohtani is considered day to day while dealing with myriad physical issues. He didn't participate in baseball activities on Thursday and accordingly was unavailable to pinch-hit in the ninth inning, when the Dodgers walked off the Cardinals, 3-2, without him. Manager Dave Roberts was unsure whether Ohtani would play on Friday.
Ongoing conversations between Ohtani, Roberts and the training staff will determine Ohtani's availability moving forward. For the time being, Roberts doesn’t expect that Ohtani will go on the injured list.
“Right now, I would consider it unlikely," Roberts said. "Unlikely, but not impossible."
General manager Brandon Gomes said that the Dodgers have no reason to place Ohtani on the IL at this point in time.
"I think not having Shohei in the lineup for 10 days or whatever it would be is something that we would prefer not to do," Gomes said. "It really hasn't even been something that we've discussed."
Ohtani has not spoken to the media since Aug. 17 in Colorado, declining multiple requests for comment in that span.
Dating back to June, Ohtani has dealt with multiple lingering physical issues, including left knee soreness that has been the primary reason that he has not pitched since July 3. He has dealt with a lingering right biceps issue that first affected him as a hitter, then as a pitcher. Roberts said Ohtani's "overall body" was "not 100 percent" when he threw an ill-fated bullpen session last Friday that rendered his timeline to return to pitching indefinite.
Since Ohtani restarted a throwing program on Aug. 8, he is hitting .204 (19-for-93) with a .704 OPS. He has struck out 32 times in that span. Overall this season, Ohtani has a .906 OPS with 30 homers and a 1.79 ERA in 14 pitching starts.
The Dodgers had hoped that Ohtani's lingering injuries were behind him once he resumed throwing, but they seemed to flare up again as his progression intensified.
"I think it's hard to be 100 percent at any point, especially during the season," Gomes said. "All of these guys are going through that time of year where they're battling through different ailments. … I don't think you can definitely say that any struggles have been because of how he's feeling physically."
For the Dodgers, Ohtani's performance on Wednesday was somewhat of a tipping point. Not only did he strike out four times, but he also shook out his right arm and winced multiple times. His lower body mobility appeared compromised when he swung. Roberts said that his biceps and neck -- a new issue -- were bothering him the most.
Regardless of how they go about managing Ohtani's physical condition, the Dodgers are confident that they can get him feeling as good as he can be in time for the postseason. They have also not ruled out a return to the mound -- despite the fact that he has not been seen throwing since last Friday -- because they believe that any innings they can get from him are additive.
Ohtani never wants to take a day off, but the Dodgers may have to take the decision out of his hands -- like they did on Thursday -- as they look to get him right for the postseason.
"I think it's up to us to kind of figure out how we navigate these next three and a half, four weeks," Roberts said. "But I'm very confident that we'll see the guy we all expect to see.”