Dave Roberts Reveals How Shohei Ohtani Took News of First Day Off for Dodgers

Maren Angus-Coombs | May 3, 2024

Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Shohei Ohtani wasn't in the starting lineup for the Los Angeles Dodgers for the first time this season on Wednesday. The good news is, the Dodgers beat the Arizona Diamondbacks 8-0.

“I think that he understands that it’s a long season, so there wasn’t any back and forth,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of Ohtani. “I think he understands that it’s probably for his own benefit.”

Roberts said it was "just a routine day off" but a reset for Ohtani was much needed after going 1-for-5 Tuesday with three strikeouts and only having five hits in his last 26 at-bats. On Tuesday, he was 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position, dropping his average with runners in scoring position to .184 (7-for-38).

The Dodgers' skipper also told reporters that he sees Ohtani altering his approach in those situations, being overly aggressive, expanding his strike zone, and swinging at pitches he would not in other situations.

“I think that hitters want to hit. Shohei is as aggressive as those bees were last night,” Roberts said. “They want to hit in big spots. Certainly, he feels like he’s the best option to drive in a run. And that’s what pitchers feed off of. So I do think like I was talking about earlier, that he’s managed that controlling of the strike zone. But I think the DNA part of it is to want to swing the bat, which is still a good thing.”

The Dodgers had Thursday off before welcoming the Atlanta Braves to Chavez Ravine on Friday for the first contest in a three-game series. Hopefully, the extra day off will help Ohtani feel refreshed as the National League's top two teams clash at Dodger Stadium with the first pitch scheduled for 7:10 p.m. PT.