Shohei Ohtani has not been his best in the batter’s box this season.
Dave Roberts is giving him a break. The Dodgers manager told reporters on Tuesday that he’s planning give Ohtani the day off on Thursday when the Dodgers close a four-game series against the San Francisco Giants.
Roberts is also leaning toward sitting Ohtani on offense during his scheduled pitching start on Wednesday against San Francisco. Roberts confirmed the plan a day after telling reporters that he intended to give Ohtani at least one day off this week.
Ohtani will play Tuesday night
Ohtani will hit in his normal leadoff spot Tuesday night against Giants righty Adrian Houser. But he’s getting at least one day off from hitting from there.
“It certainly should be on the table,” Roberts said Monday when asked about giving Ohtani a mental break with a day off.
The Dodgers had just come off a 9-3 loss as Ohtani went 0-for-5 in the leadoff spot. Roberts was then asked if Ohtani was as “out of whack” as he’s seen him.
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“Yes, it is,” Roberts said. “Even early on when he wasn’t right, he was still taking walks and getting on base. I think right now — and tonight was a classic example — I think he’s trying to swing out of it.
“So that’s just apparent. A lot of hitters, when they’re struggling, they want to kind of swing out of it. And tonight was one of those nights.”
Rough start at the plate for Shohei
A four-time MVP, Ohtani is mired in his worst slump since joining the Dodgers. Through 38 games this season, he’s slashing .233/.363/.404, significantly lower than his career line of .280/.374/.576.
He’s tallied four hits in his last 10 games, going hitless in seven of those games. A two-time home run champion, Ohtani hasn’t hit a home run since April 27, a span of 11 games.
Ohtani’s been stellar on the mound and is making an early-season Cy Young case. In 37 innings pitched, Ohtani’s posted a 0.97 ERA and 0.811 WHIP with 42 strikeouts and 9 walks.
Roberts his hoping a brief break from the box can help Ohtani get back on track with his bat.
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