Originally published by DodgerBlue.com
The Los Angeles Dodgers’ quest to complete the three-peat begins on Saturday with Game 1 of the National League Division Series. Having Shohei Ohtani as healthy as possible increases their chances of a successful postseason run.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said their star player is in a good spot health-wise, thanks to the time off afforded by the 15-day injured list stint.
“Feeling great physically,” Gomes said of Ohtani. “Thought the swings once he came back, overall, were in a good place. Using these five days to continue to get reps and feeling good into this series is really important. Feels like he’s in a great spot.”
While the Dodgers have said their postseason aspirations do not solely rest on Ohtani’s shoulders, having his best possible version in October would make life much easier for the rest of the lineup. This isn’t even to mention the value he creates simply by being a threatening presence in the lineup.
With the additional rest and repetitions gained during the bye week, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts believes opponents will see a better version of Ohtani than the one who hit .232/.325/.745 across 138 at-bats during the final two months of the season.
“I feel confident you’re going to see the best version of Shohei of the last two months. I know that’s sort of a low bar, given his injury, but I do think that he’s as healthy as he’s been in quite some time,” Roberts said. “Every day, from the training staff, it keeps getting better. So number one, he’ll be a threat being in the lineup. But I do think the performance piece will be what we’re hoping for.”
Ohtani’s 22 plate appearances since his activation on Sept. 23, and 36 overall this month, are not ideal. However, Roberts believes the left-hander’s improved health will trump the lack of game-speed at-bats.
“I think for me, it’s just the health,” he began. “I think he did everything he could to manage it, all the while being somewhat compromised. I think he’s going to be as healthy and as good as he felt. I think with guys like him, and Freddie and Muncy, you’re going to see even better performance.”
Roberts hopes to see Ohtani take five to seven at-bats against a live arm during workouts this week. This is in addition to the 32-year-old’s own work and at-bats against the Trajekt machine.
Shohei Ohtani hopes to learn from injury-plagued season
Ohtani was limited to 139 games at the plate this season, which is his lowest total in three seasons with the Dodgers. He also ceased to be a two-way player after the All-Star break due to lingering left knee soreness, right bicep/arm discomfort and other minor ailments.
“Disappointing, but I want to make sure that when I look back on this season that I use it as a learning experience and make sure I use it as something to improve upon for next season,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton.
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