05/12/26 08:33:00
Printable Page
05/12 20:31 CDT Dodgers give Shohei Ohtani a DH break as his offensive slump
deepens
Dodgers give Shohei Ohtani a DH break as his offensive slump deepens
By BETH HARRIS
AP Sports Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) --- Shohei Ohtani is getting a break from the batter's box for
one day and possibly longer.
The struggling Los Angeles Dodgers superstar is 4 for 36 at the plate this
month, with just six home runs on the season and none in May. He's batting .233
with 16 RBIs.
Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Ohtani would not be in lineup as the
designated hitter on Thursday, although he would be available late if the
outcome hangs in the balance. Roberts said he had yet to decide but was leaning
toward not having Ohtani hit Wednesday, when he starts on the mound against the
San Francisco Giants.
"It might just be a good thing to take a little bit of a load off of his plate
offensively," Roberts said. "I just can't take for granted what's on his plate
and so I'm trying to be sensitive."
As Ohtani goes, so have the Dodgers (24-17). They began Tuesday a half-game
behind NL West-leading San Diego, having lost three in a row. Andy Pages (.325
average) and Max Muncy (.280) have been LA's best hitters so far, while the
rest of the lineup is struggling, including Freddie Freeman (.273) and Kyle
Tucker (.250).
Ohtani is in his first full season as a two-way player for the Dodgers. Coming
off two major right elbow surgeries, he was limited to the DH role in 2024,
when he created the 50/50 club, with 54 home runs and 59 stolen bases, was
named NL MVP and the Dodgers won the World Series.
Last year, Ohtani didn't return to the mound until midseason. He wasn't built
up to pitching six innings until September and offensively, he hit 55 home runs
and had 20 stolen bases. He repeated as NL MVP and the Dodgers won the World
Series again.
This season, he has had no innings restrictions on the mound, where he's been
dominant. The right-hander is 2-2 with a 0.97 ERA to go with 42 strikeouts and
37 innings pitched over six starts. He's allowed just four earned runs and 21
hits.
"He's still calibrating on this kind of newfound two-way player," Roberts said.
Roberts has said Ohtani is willing to do whatever the team needs, but at the
same time, the manager knows the team's most valuable asset needs to be
protected from himself.
"He's always going to want to do more," Roberts said. "He has that sense of
responsibility to his teammates that he wants to be out there on both ways.
I've learned that I have to be proactive and take it out of his hands."
Roberts has seen enough to decide that taking the bat out of Ohtani's hands
might help him reset.
"When the quality of at-bats starts to go down consistently, I think that's a
sign that there needs to be a break because you're just not able to stay within
your game plan and then the chase starts to spike," he said. "The fatigue is
bleeding into the mechanics. Most players get that towards the end of the
summer. Now I'm learning managing Shohei it's probably showing itself a little
earlier as far as the tax on pitching and all that comes with it to the
hitting, too."
Ohtani isn't used to not hitting; he's had just three games so far this season
in which he wasn't the DH. Roberts suggested he show up late on Thursday.
The Dodgers knew in spring training that having Ohtani return to being a
full-time two-way player for the first time since 2023 with the Los Angeles
Angels would be challenging.
"It definitely feels sustainable," Roberts said. "I wouldn't say it's more
difficult. I think that we all came in knowing that we had to read and react,
it was going to be fluid. It should be. It's very unique."
___
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB
|
