Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts Expresses Faith in Slumping Shohei Ohtani

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts acknowledged the difficulty in finding concrete positives from Shohei Ohtani's performance during the National League Division Series, but reiterated his belief in the star player's talent and resilience.

Ohtani struggled through a 2-for-13 series against the Braves, a performance that saw him reach base in all four games, partly due to walks. Roberts noted that Ohtani "did a good job of controlling the [strike] zone" and observed "some better swings" from the 32-year-old, yet conceded that Ohtani's current form was a stark contrast to what the team has come to expect.

Despite the lack of clear on-field evidence of a turnaround, Roberts expressed unwavering faith. "There’s nothing right now I’m going to hang my hat on," he admitted, "outside of, I just believe in the person and the talent … I’m just never going to count Shohei out."

Ohtani, who has not hit a home run since August 18th and is in a 22-game slump (.157 average, one RBI) spanning the regular season and playoffs, was slated to hit cleanup in Game 1 of the NL Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers. He continues to be hampered by left knee and right arm injuries.

Roberts suggested that Ohtani remains a threat when at the plate and recalled his performance in the previous postseason. "Those pitchers, their memories are long," Roberts said. "Now it’s just up to Shohei to understand that and control the strike zone. They’re just not going to give in to him regardless of how he might be swinging the bat over the last couple months, in my opinion."

The Dodgers' expectations for Ohtani are more tempered this postseason compared to last year, when he emerged from a similar slump with a historic three-homer, 10-strikeout performance in Game 4 of the NLCS against the Brewers to earn series MVP honors.

For the current series against the Brewers and presumed Cy Young Award winner Jacob Misiorowski, Roberts emphasized the need for Ohtani to "just get on base [and] take good at-bats." He added, "If you run into a homer, great. But if you can earn a walk, fantastic."

During a Saturday workout, Ohtani and his teammates practiced against a velocity machine simulating Misiorowski’s 105 mph fastball. Some hitters took swings from in front of the plate to better adjust to the speed, a drill previously used by Albert Pujols. Hitting coach Aaron Bates noted that for Ohtani, the focus was "just trying not to flip the barrel so soon," suggesting that the player might be overcompensating due to his injuries.

Bates believes Ohtani's struggles are incremental and related to excessive effort. Drills aimed at controlling his effort level are seen as beneficial. The mental cue for Ohtani is to focus on a controlled finish to his swing, "reverse engineering" more consistent mechanics. Despite the challenges, the hitting staff sees Ohtani's work in the cages and games as positive, focusing on finding the right "feels."

As the NLCS begins, the Dodgers are clinging to cautious optimism, still anticipating that their faith in Ohtani will ultimately be rewarded.