Dodgers' Dave Roberts Reveals Whether Shohei Ohtani is Affected by Injury

Maren Angus-Coombs | Oct 30, 2024

Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Since injuring his left shoulder in Game 2 of the World Series, Shohei Ohtani has not looked like his usual self.

The first four games of the series have been characterized more by his injury than his contributions at the plate.

On Tuesday, Ohtani managed to go 1-for-4, recording a single in the fifth inning, but his overall batting average through the first four games has plummeted to just .133.

Despite these struggles, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts remains adamant that Ohtani isn’t being hindered by his injury. He emphasized this point, stating, “We’ve asked him many times over, and it’s not impeding. He doesn’t feel it. I just think it’s the chase. You see it. There are some big at-bats that could result in a walk, and not taking the base and chasing hasn’t been good.”

Determining whether Ohtani's recent issues at the plate are due to his injury or simply the unpredictable nature of baseball is challenging. While his performance has been underwhelming, it's worth noting that it aligns closely with that of Yankees star Aaron Judge, who is a frontrunner for the American League MVP award. Both players have similar stats, each going 2-for-15 with two walks and a hit-by-pitch, and neither has hit a home run.

Ohtani’s lack of offensive production cannot solely be attributed to his shoulder injury; rather, it seems to stem from his pitch selection. For instance, in a critical moment when the Dodgers were down 6-4 and Ohtani was at the plate as the potential tying run, he displayed an uncharacteristic passiveness. Known for his aggressive approach, he let a splitter down the middle go by. After working the count full, he ultimately swung and missed at a splitter well off the plate for strike three.

While Ohtani maintains he isn’t in pain, he has shown signs of discomfort with a few winces during recent swings. However, both he and the Dodgers are optimistic that his performance won't be heavily impacted since it’s primarily his left shoulder that is injured. Ohtani feels he can swing without fear of pain when he releases the bat with his back hand.

“If it was more of the right shoulder, then I think it would have impacted my swing,” Ohtani stated. “Thankfully, it was my left.”

Roberts has made it clear that Ohtani will not be attempting to steal bases. When he does run, he has taken to holding his shirt with his left arm to avoid sliding on that side. He did manage to execute his first slide during Game 4.

“I think it’s been fine so far,” Roberts commented on Ohtani’s baserunning. “He actually slid tonight. So I don’t think that it’s been a problem. He’s not going to be stealing bases, I wouldn’t think, but I think it hasn’t been too much of a problem.”