Shohei Ohtani admitted he won’t be at full strength when he bats for the Dodgers in the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, which begins Saturday in Los Angeles.
The four-time Most Valuable Player had a stint on the 15-day injured list in September due to right biceps and left knee issues that are still troubling him. He returned to go 5-for-21 (.238) with one extra-base hit, a double, and one RBI in the final five regular-season games.
Speaking about his health, Ohtani said Friday through an interpreter, “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.”
The two-way star previously was ruled out from any possible pitching work in the postseason — and he hasn’t taken the mound since July 3.
“During the IL (stint), I pretty much knew I wasn’t going to pitch the rest of the season,” Ohtani said. “So I did focus on just the hitting aspect of the game and coming to understanding and wanting to execute and try new things when I came back. So, those were the things that I really took the IL time to think through what I wanted to try when I was back in action.”
Ohtani saw his offense fall off late in the season. In his final 18 games as the designated hitter, he went 11-for-70 (.157) with no homers and one RBI.
Still, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, “Shohei’s not 100%, but he’s going to be in the lineup. … I think that most players that are performing now are not 100%. Obviously with Shohei, it’s a bigger deal because of the player, but there’s a lot of players that are not 100%, and they’ve just got to manage it. …
“I know that once the lights turn on, the postseason starts, the focus will be heightened. I expect good things. I really do. We just haven’t seen it enough … for me to forecast it.”
Overall on the season, Ohtani batted .275 with a .377 on-base percentage, a .512 slugging percentage, 30 homers and 81 RBIs in 139 games. In his abbreviated pitching campaign, he went 8-2 with a 1.79 ERA, 95 strikeouts and 26 walks in 85 2/3 innings.
