Can you even believe this? Shohei Ohtani, the four-time MVP, is getting dropped to sixth in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup for NLCS Game 3. This is absolutely wild, especially with the Dodgers staring down an 0-2 deficit in the series. Manager Dave Roberts is clearly feeling the heat, because moving a guy like Ohtani this low in the order is unheard of, it’s the lowest he’s ever batted in his career. Kyle Tucker is sliding up to take his usual spot, but man, the whole league is talking about this.
A Slump Like We’ve Never Seen
Look, we all know Ohtani can change a game with one swing, right? He blasted 54 and 55 homers in his first two seasons with the Dodgers, even leading the NL in 2024! But what we’re seeing now? It’s like nothing else from him. The Milwaukee Brewers’ pitching is legit, sure, but Ohtani’s personal slump is a HUGE problem for the Dodgers. Since September 1, he’s only got nine hits, rocking a dismal .180 batting average. Seriously, nine hits in that long a stretch? Just one extra-base hit, one RBI, and he’s struck out 21 times in 50 at-bats. That’s not our Ohtani.
And the postseason hasn’t magically fixed anything. Across six playoff games, he’s hitting just .150, with only three singles, ZERO RBIs, and seven strikeouts in 20 at-bats. His home run drought? It stretches all the way back to August 18. Roberts even told The Athletic on Monday, “Yeah, I mean, obviously it hasn’t been good. He doesn’t feel great.” He clearly feels the need to talk to Ohtani, saying, “He certainly has earned that conversation and deserves it.” You know it’s bad when the manager is publicly saying his star player “doesn’t feel great.”
Playing Through The Pain
So, what’s really going on? Turns out, Ohtani has been playing through pain. He spent about two weeks on the IL before the regular season ended, dealing with left knee and right biceps issues. And before the NLDS even started, he flat-out told reporters he wasn’t feeling 100%, but thought he could power through it. He said, “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.”
That’s tough to hear, and it explains a lot. But “manage” it or not, the performance just isn’t there, and for a guy whose talent makes dropping him in the lineup completely unthinkable, here we are. The Dodgers are down two games, and all the pressure is on Roberts to pull a rabbit out of a hat. Game 3 is absolutely massive. Can Ohtani find something, anything, from the sixth spot? Or is this just going to be a brutal ending to an injury-plagued run? You know we’ll be watching to see what happens next.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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