No player is a bigger question mark for the Los Angeles Dodgers than Shohei Ohtani as they prepare to go for a third straight World Series title, so much so that the man himself doesn’t seem to fully understand what ails him.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Game 1 of the NLDS against the Atlanta Braves, Ohtani said he still has to deal with the knee, bicep and neck issues he’s been experiencing over the past few months. He plans to address them more in the offseason.
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His full commentary, via the translator Will Ireton;
“I couldn’t really understand the root cause of it all, so I think it’s going to be a process in the offseason with that time to be able to address it a little more. As it is now, I’m going to have something.”
Ohtani started the season both hitting and pitching for the Dodgers, but did not take the mound on July 3 due to a knee injury. He received a lead injection in the joint during the All-Star break, but eventually started having enough hitting problems that the Dodgers placed him on the injured list in September.
The biceps issue occurred a few weeks after the knee injury and became the definitive procedure for IL placement. Neck soreness was first mentioned as a problem in September.
The timing of the IL investment meant the Dodgers could move Ohtani with only five games remaining in the regular season. In those five games, he went 5-for-21 with a walk, eight strikeouts and one extra-base hit.
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The Dodgers insist he’s feeling better because he’s back, though the player himself reiterated that Friday;
“[My body] feels really good overall. I feel like my steering wheel is in a better place – it feels smoother. Just a few tweaks here and there and I’ll be ready for tomorrow.”
In a worst-case scenario where Ohtani must be replaced, the Dodgers have a natural option in 21-year-old Joshua De Paula, who has re-established Ohtani as a designated hitter in his IL and is hitting .323/.500/.581 in the first 11 games of his MLB career.
For now, De Paula seemed as likely to make the NLDS roster for the Dodgers as he used the lefty bat on the top of the bench.