LOS ANGELES — He is the elephant in the lineup.
Shohei Ohtani’s presence looms large as the Dodgers prepare to open their postseason run with Game 1 of their National League Division Series on Saturday afternoon against the Atlanta Braves.
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But what version of the four-time league MVP will be in the lineup on Saturday is a mystery. He has played just eight games in the past month and spoken to the media just once in the past six weeks, so assurances about his health have only come second hand.
But they have come.
“Everything is feeling great physically,” Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes said this week. “The swings, once he came back, overall were in a good place. And using these five days to continue to get reps and feeling good into this series is really important. But feels like he’s in a great spot.”
Ohtani returned for the final five games of the regular season and went 5 for 21 (.238) with just one extra-base hit (a double), one RBI, no runs scored, eight strikeouts and only one walk. But that was enough for Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
“I feel confident that you’re going to see the best version of Shohei of the last two months,” Roberts said, referencing a stretch that saw Ohtani hit .232 with a .745 OPS while compromised by knee and arm injuries.
“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, and every day from the training staff, it keeps getting better. So yeah, No. 1 he’ll be a threat being in the lineup, but I do think that the performance piece will be what we’re hoping for.”
Media were not allowed into the Dodgers’ workouts on Tuesday and Wednesday. Ohtani took batting practice on the field each day and also took three at-bats against Yoshinobu Yamamoto during Wednesday’s intrasquad game.
Thursday’s workout was open to the media and Ohtani was nowhere to be seen during batting practice or the intrasquad game that followed.
“His BP outside the last two days was really good,” Dodgers hitting coach Aaron Bates said during Thursday’s workout. “It was as good as we’ve seen it this year as far as the way the ball was coming off and the way he was getting his move off.
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“He looked really good in his BP, in his work. He looks as good as he has as far as that goes. … The ball always comes off his bat hard, but the last two days in particular he was swinging very well.”
Bates said there have been no signs of any physical limitations in Ohtani’s work.
“The physical part he’s kind of moving past that,” Bates said. “Now it’s just getting the timing against different speeds, when he wants to get his move off, that sort of thing – kind of the usual stuff hitters go through as opposed to him navigating trying to achieve the physical components (while injured).”
The expectation is not to have Ohtani – or anyone else in the lineup – at 100% full strength, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said.
“I don’t think anyone is going to be at 100% in October,” Friedman said. “It’s a long, grueling season, and everyone’s on fumes. Our group, the team we’re playing against, everyone is on fumes. And it’s so adrenaline-based that, for me, it’s about each guy just drawing from their experience and having calmness in what they do. And I would bet on our talent to shine through.
“We don’t need anyone to try to do more.”
But they do need “a lot” from Ohtani, Roberts said, in a lineup that has underperformed at times and struggled against the better pitching staffs of the National League.
“We need him to be full strength and do what he does – take good at-bats, take what they give you,” Roberts said. “If they’re going to pitch around you to pitch to Mookie, so be it. And if they make mistakes, then hit it hard.
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“Yeah, we need him to be healthy and strong. It certainly helps our offense.”
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