The Los Angeles Dodgers are searching for answers after falling behind 2-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series, and that could result in the benching of arguably the best player in baseball.
“Yeah, I mean obviously it hasn’t been good,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said when discussing the possibility of benching Shohei Ohtani amid struggles and injury concerns, per Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.
“He doesn’t feel great. I think for me, it’s having a conversation with him tomorrow, kind of try to figure out what’s best for him, what’s best for us. He certainly has earned that conversation and deserves it. I’ll have (that conversation) with him tomorrow.”
Aiden Gonzalez of ESPN reported that Ohtani would only sit if he “believed his was compromised” by the injuries to his left knee and right bicep. Gonzalez added that if Ohtani feels fit to play, “the plan is to continue playing him.”
Injuries have been a concern for Ohtani throughout the season.
The two-way star hasn’t pitched since July 3 and has spent time on the injured list. What’s more, he hasn’t been the same player fans are accustomed to during his recent at-bats.
Woo and Rosenthal called his postseason plate appearances “unrecognizable” as he struggles with fastballs and reached a point where he showed bunt during Monday’s 7-4 loss in Game 2 of the series. He went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the defeat, dropping his postseason batting average to .150.
Ohtani has a single RBI since Aug. 19. His last home run game the previous day, and he is hitting worse than .160 in the ensuing span.
Still, benching someone with a resume that includes four league MVPs, four Silver Slugger awards and six All-Star selections is not an easy decision. Yes, he isn’t exactly helping the team at the plate in his current form, but it likely isn’t difficult for Roberts and the Dodgers to imagine him breaking through in any given at-bat.
If Los Angeles does bench its star, Woo and Rosenthal cited a team source who said rookie Josue De Paula would likely be his replacement.
De Paula made his major league debut in September, although he has two walks in three plate appearances during the playoffs. While it isn’t realistic to expect him to replicate what Ohtani can do when the two-way star is at his best, the rookie can at least potentially provide more of a spark than the future Hall of Famer has offered of late.