Manager Dave Roberts said after Monday's 9-3 loss that Ohtani will be held out of the lineup for one of the final two games of the Dodgers' four-game series versus the Giants, Maddie Lee of the Los Angeles Times reports.
Ohtani went 0-for-5 with two strikeouts Monday, extending a rough stretch at the plate to begin the month. Through his nine games as a hitter so far in May, Ohtani has gone just 4-for-36 with a 4:10 BB:K, bringing his OPS down to .767 for the season. Ohtani has made up for his uncharacteristically lagging bat by looking as dominant as ever on the mound; he'll take a 0.97 ERA, 0.81 WHIP and 22.8 K-BB% into his next start Wednesday. The Dodgers could look to give him a break from hitting that day -- something they've already done for three of his first six starts as a pitcher -- or wait until Thursday's series finale to rest him in what would be his first proper off day of the season.