The Los Angeles Dodgers are trying to lock up one of the two National League byes, and are about to get a huge bat back for the final week of play.
Dave Roberts revealed that the Dodgers plan to activate Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday, meaning he will slot back in as the regular designated hitter. The Dodgers may still give him some off days to close out the regular season, but he will once again be available, and the hope is that the stint on the injured list will let him come back healthy and break out of his slump. Roberts said that Ohtani's health is "considerably better," per the California Post's Jack Harris.
“If he was a 5 before, he’s probably an 8 or 9 now,” said Roberts.
Ohtani's slump at the plate likely had to do with him battling injuries that kept him off the mound while also trying to return to pitching. Since Aug. 4, when he started a throwing program, he hit .215/.311/.449 and struck out at a higher clip than usual.
Before this slump, he was the favorite for MVP, despite not pitching in the second half. However, now that he's back, the Dodgers will look to him to be a big part of trying to track down the Milwaukee Brewers for the top seed in the final five games.
Ohtani has hit leadoff in all but one game this season, but Roberts is unsure if it will be like that now. Unlike for most of the season, Mookie Betts is playing like an All-Star and could be a candidate to lead off against lefties.
A healthy Ohtani could set the Dodgers up for a dominant postseason run. Betts, Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández are all swinging hot bats right now, and Andy Pages is back now as well. Getting Ohtani back will give the Dodgers their star-studded lineup at full force just in time for October.