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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Offseason surgeries ruled out
Los Angeles Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said Wednesday that Shohei Ohtani will not require offseason surgery on his left knee or right biceps, Katie Woo of The Athletic reports.Ohtani dealt with nagging knee and biceps issues that kept him from pitching after July 3 and affected his offensive production in the second half (.245/.325/.447, eight home runs). However, the belief is Ohtani will heal with rest and be 100 percent by the time spring training rolls around. Friedman also noted Wednesday that he "fully expects" Ohtani to be a two-way player again in 2027.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Intends to pitch in 2027
Shohei Ohtani intends to pitch in 2027, Brian Murphy of MLB.com reports. "Yes, definitely," Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton when asked if he plans to pitch in 2027. "And looking forward to having a better season next year."It remains to be seen whether Ohtani will have any offseason physical procedures, and how a potential lockout might affect his rehab and subsequent return date. Ohtani was great when he pitched, but he was last able to pitch July 3 due to his left knee injury and later biceps inflammation.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Finally homers in Game 4 loss
Shohei Ohtani went 1-for-4 with a three-run home run and three strikeouts in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Brewers on Thursday.After being bumped down in the order, the Japanese superstar returned to the leadoff spot Thursday and gave the Los Angeles Dodgers some hope and a 4-0 lead in the second inning with a three-run homer, which was his first long ball since Aug. 18 in Colorado. However, Ohtani struck out in his other three plate appearances, including during the seventh with one out and the tying run on third base. The 32-year-old played through nagging knee and biceps injuries down the stretch and finished the playoffs with a .192/.323/.308 slash line in eight games, with his struggles being reflective of the Dodgers offense as a whole while being swept by the Brewers. According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Ohtani isn't sure if he'll require any surgeries during the offseason to address the injuries, which leaves his availability heading into spring training a bit up in the air.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Elevated back to leadoff spot
Shohei Ohtani will start at designated hitter and bat leadoff Thursday in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Brewers.The struggling Ohtani was moved down to the No. 6 spot in the lineup for Game 3 as he battles through nagging injuries. He did reach base three times Wednesday, though Ohtani is still looking for his first extra-base hit and RBI this postseason.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Batting sixth in NLCS Game 3
Shohei Ohtani will start at designated hitter and bat sixth Wednesday in Game 3 of the NLCS versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.The Dodgers are sticking with Ohtani -- who is playing through multiple injuries -- in the lineup despite his .156/.283/.200 batting line with no home runs dating back to Aug. 19. However, they will push him down to the No. 6 spot, which is the lowest he's batted since joining the Dodgers.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Won't be benched
Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Shohei Ohtani will be in the lineup for Game 3 of the NLCS against Milwaukee on Wednesday, Jack Harris of the California Post reports.Ohtani has been struggling mightily at the plate while playing through multiple injuries, slashing just .156/.283/.200 with one RBI and 36 strikeouts in 24 games (including the postseason) since Aug. 19. Between the 32-year-old's offensive woes and the Los Angeles Dodgers facing a 2-0 series deficit in the NLCS, the team was reportedly considering keeping Ohtani on the bench and deploying Josue De Paula as its DH in Game 3. However, Roberts said Ohtani was "adamant" that he is healthy enough to remain in the lineup and close to turning things around, so the Dodgers will stick with their franchise superstar and presumably keep him near the middle of their batting order. He will match up against southpaw Robert Gasser, against whom Ohtani is 0-for-6 in his career with a walk and three strikeouts.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Could be held out of Game 3 of NLCS
The Los Angeles Dodgers are considering benching Shohei Ohtani for Game 3 of the NLCS against Milwaukee on Wednesday, Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic report.Ohtani has struggled so far in the series, going 1-for-7 with a walk and three strikeouts. However, his poor hitting has extended far beyond the NLCS -- since hitting three homers over two games in Colorado on Aug. 17 and 18, he's failed to go deep in his subsequent 24 contests (including the playoffs) while posting a meager .490 OPS. The two-way superstar has admitted to not being 100 percent and said through interpreter Will Ireton, "I haven't been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this ... I think that process is going to happen during the offseason when I'm going to have a little bit more time to be able to address it. But as of now, it's something I'm just going to have to manage." Los Angeles has thus far given Ohtani an opportunity to try to work out of the slump, but with the team now down 0-2 against Milwaukee, manager Dave Roberts said following Monday's loss that he'll have "a conversation" with Ohtani on Tuesday to "try to figure out what's best for him, what's best for us." Should Ohtani indeed be benched, Josue De Paula is expected to get an opportunity to start at DH.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Dropped to fifth in lineup
Shohei Ohtani will start at designated hitter and will bat fifth Tuesday in Game 3 of the NLDS against Atlanta.It's the lowest Ohtani has batted since back in 2020 when he was still with the Angels. Ohtani has gone 1-for-4 at the plate in each of the first two games of the series, and he collected just a .503 OPS with zero home runs and a 34.9 percent strikeout rate over his final 18 regular-season contests. With Ohtani down in the No. 5 spot for Game 3, Mookie Betts has been elevated to the leadoff role.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Officially activated
The Los Angeles Dodgers reinstated Shohei Ohtani (knee/biceps) from the injured list Wednesday, Noah Camras of SI.com reports.After taking a couple of weeks off to recover from knee and biceps injuries that have bothered him for much of the second half, Ohtani will return to the active roster in time to play out the Dodgers' final five regular-season contests. The two-way star will only be contributing as a hitter, however, as he isn't expected to make an appearance on the mound for the rest of the year. Josue De Paula was sent down to the minors in a corresponding move.
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by RotoWire Staff | RotoWire
Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani: Returning Wednesday
Shohei Ohtani (knee/biceps) is expected to return from the injured list Wednesday, David Vassegh of AM 570 LA Sports reports.Manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday that Ohtani still has a few hurdles to clear after spending the past couple of weeks on the IL, per Katie Woo of The Athletic, but the Los Angeles Dodgers skipper anticipates that Ohtani will be cleared to resume working as the team's primary designated hitter Wednesday against the Padres. Ohtani isn't expected to make another appearance as a pitcher in the regular season or postseason, however.