The Los Angeles Dodgers are in absolute wreckage after getting swept four games to none by the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS, and their $700 million unicorn, Shohei Ohtani, was too hurt to do much of anything in the last two months of the season. It’s year three of a massive ten-year deal that was supposed to bring more World Series glory after 2024 and 2025 saw him win a championship and an MVP each year with elite pitching and insane hitting numbers like a 50-50 season and a 55-homer campaign. Now? The whole thing feels like a brain-breaking mess.
The Wheels Fell Off for Ohtani, And Then Some
This season started with Ohtani looking like his old self. He went into the All-Star break with a ridiculous .953 OPS and 22 home runs as a hitter, plus a stellar 1.79 ERA in 14 starts on the mound. He practically had his fifth MVP award locked up, pushing him into territory only Barry Bonds had ever seen. But even then, the quiet whispers started, hinting at a physical breakdown that eventually turned into a dull roar. First, it was just his left knee. Then, his right biceps decided to join the party. His pitching stopped for good on July 3, and his hitting results completely evaporated after August 18. On that day, he had a .949 OPS and 30 homers. Afterward? A brutal .530 OPS and not a single home run until the final game of the NLCS. He exited the entire postseason with a paltry .630 OPS and just that one lonely homer. It wasn’t pretty. He struck out a mind-boggling 14 times in 30 at-bats, often looking like he’d never seen a bat before.
Mismanagement Accusations and a Looming Lockout
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts apparently tried to light a fire under Ohtani, floating the idea of benching him for Game 3 and then implying during Game 4 that the resulting chatter motivated Ohtani’s lone postseason homer. If that’s what it takes to get through to the famously non-communicative superstar, Roberts might have found a unique way. However, you can’t ignore the accusations of mismanagement against Roberts and the Dodgers themselves. Despite Ohtani’s obvious struggles and injuries, they didn’t place him on the IL until September 11, where he stayed for only two weeks. He clearly wasn’t fully healthy when the playoffs began, and it showed.
Now, Ohtani himself said Thursday that it’s “hard to tell” whether he’ll need surgery for his injuries. That’s not a “no,” and that should make the Dodgers absolutely cringe. Ohtani is 32, already has two major surgeries on his right arm, and his left knee, which serves as both his landing leg for pitching and back leg for hitting, is critical. A compromised knee could derail everything. With an upcoming lockout shutting down all player-team communication, the last thing the Dodgers need this offseason is their “$700 million unicorn” recovering from surgery in a complete black box, with only him and his equally secretive agent, Nez Balelo, knowing the full story. The Dodgers and Ohtani need to figure out if his two-way act has finally become too much to bear.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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