Shohei Ohtani had a four-strikeout game on Wednesday and reported some discomfort in his right biceps and neck.
The biceps injury is part of the reason he has not been pitching, and now his ailments seem to be negatively affecting his offense. He was given four days off, but returned to the lineup on Monday night. On Tuesday, he was out of the lineup once again. Roberts noted that Ohtani came out of Monday's game feeling good, but they want to be safe with him.
“Talking to the training staff, it’s more the thought of, ‘Let’s build him up slowly,'” Roberts said on Tuesday, per the California Post's Jack Harris.
Ohtani is slumping hard at the plate, and his focus on trying to return to the mound may have had something to do with it. On Aug. 8, he started a throwing program in hopes of returning to the mound. Since then, he has a .204 batting average and .704 OPS. He came out of a bullpen session not feeling 100%, and his next start was postponed.
However, the team has now noted that it's unlikely that he will pitch again this season. Ohtani has also stated that he will focus on hitting for the rest of the year. Still, the Dodgers want to make sure he's full-go for October, meaning getting him some much-needed off days.
“It’s about, ‘What can we do to get him to optimum (form) as we get into the postseason?'” Roberts said. “So, I think a day here or there is not the worst thing, to make sure overall that his body feels as close to 100% as possible.”
“I think it’s just more of being proactive,” Roberts added. “We have 19, 20 games left. We have some off days in there. So (his workload plan) is not premeditated, predetermined. But I can see a couple more off days in there for him.”
The Dodgers are going for a three-peat, and they will need Ohtani hitting at an MVP level to make it happen.