If Shohei Ohtani isn’t going to be in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup due to some discomfort that he’s been battling through, why is he even taking up a spot on the roster?
There’s a strong case to be made that a stint on the Injured List would do wonders for the Dodgers heading into the playoffs, but obviously, they still need to win the division.
Neither the Arizona Diamondbacks nor the San Diego Padres are a huge threat to stealing the division late in the year, but crazier things have happened.
Even if the Dodgers would somehow end up not winning the division, one would have to assume their record would be good enough to sneak them into the Wild Card, which is exactly why Ohtani’s long term health is so important.
Listing Ohtani as day-to-day is one thing, but 570AM LA Sports‘ David Vassegh quoted manager Dave Roberts who said an IL stint for Ohtani “isn’t completely off the table.”
Dodgers must look at the bigger picture
It’s no secret that an IL stint would basically wipe away any hope that Ohtani would win his fourth consecutive MVP award, but this is much bigger than that.
Awards will come and go, but risking a long-term injury would change this franchise’s outlook for quite some time.
Ohtani not making a one-inning start last weekend was a clear indicator he’s nowhere near where he needs to be. Obviously, as a two-way superstar, he’s remained in the lineup because his offense is something this team desperately can’t afford to lose.
Roberts has now given Ohtani a day off, and it’s clear he wasn’t himself in the September 2 game where he went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts.
Ohtani hasn’t recorded a hit in four of his last six games, and he hit just .241 during the month of August which is nowhere near the .273 it was in July or the astonishing .333 he hit in June.
At this point in the season, Ohtani is struggling. He’s dealing with discomfort in his right bicep and neck, so a reset period is exactly what both he and this team desperately need if they want to make another run in October.
Removing Ohtani’s bat from the lineup is scary, no doubt, but what’s even scarier is thinking about the Dodgers future if Ohtani is on the shelf for an extended period of time.
