Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said that Ohtani will be used as a starting pitcher in the playoffs, in addition to his designated-hitter duties, Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com reports.
The Dodgers discussed the possibility of using Ohtani as a reliever in the postseason and have even mulled deploying him some in the outfield so he could stay in the game as a hitter after he was done pitching in relief. However, they've ultimately decided Ohtani will be a member of their playoff rotation. Ohtani could even start Game 1 of the National League Wild Card Series, as he'll be tentatively lined up for it after making his final regular-season start Tuesday in Arizona. The two-way superstar holds a 3.29 ERA and 54:9 K:BB over 41 innings covering 13 starts this season and went five hitless frames versus the Phillies in his last outing.