Why is Shohei Ohtani Struggling? Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts Has a Theory

Will Ohtani turn it around soon?

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani has not been firing on all cylinders over the last weeks. The Dodgers' number-2 hitter and $700 million free agent investment has seen his numbers dip slightly toward the end of May.

During his current 13-game stretch (May 18-June 2), Ohtani has twice gone three games in a row without a run. He has hit just one home run in that span, and hasn't driven in a run in six of his last seven games. To begin June, Ohtani is slashing .167/.375/.167 with a .542 OPS. In turn, he no longer ranks first (or even among the top three) in some of the categories he did a month ago. He'll have to get hot again to rise in those ranks once more.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes Ohtani's minor injuries have caused his numbers and performance to dip lately. Ohtani has dealt with some minor back and hamstring issues, which could definitely hurt his ability to perform like he would normally.

“His words, he doesn’t feel it when he’s swinging the bat,” Roberts said, via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times. “But he’s a finely tuned machine, and sometimes, in the context of a sports car, when it’s not firing on all cylinders, it just doesn’t run right. When his back was bothering him a little bit [in early May] you saw some funkier swings, a little bit more chase. His hamstring is bothering him a little bit, you see a little bit of the same thing. But I think that he’s getting close to where he needs to be physically. I think that staying to the big part of the field is a remedy.”

This minor slump coincided with part of the Dodgers' own slump, when the Dodgers lost five straight games and were swept by the Cincinnati Reds.

The connection between Ohtani's performance and his team's — as he goes, so do the Dodgers — is hard to miss. It merely adds fuel to the argument that even as a designated hitter, Ohtani warrants consideration as the National League's Most Valuable Player.

The Dodgers have a day off Monday. Perhaps that will help get their MVP firing "on all cylinders" again.