LOS ANGELES — Rested and refreshed, Shohei Ohtani returned to the Dodgers’ roster on Wednesday.
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How refreshed remains to be seen.
“These aren’t things that there’s a clear answer to,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said after Ohtani was activated from the injured list before Wednesday’s game. “I think everyone, this time of year, is dealing with some stuff, and so it’s all on that continuum. Shohei says he feels back to where he was earlier in the year, which is great, which is a good start.
“Now, it’s one thing to feel that way for any player coming back from the IL. As they are coming back, it’s important for them to feel that way and when you’re coming back, now the question is, as you start to load on real games and that intensity and that workload, it’s making sure that what we’ve done keeps guys in position to be at their best.”
Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani is “considerably” closer to being at his best than he was before going on the IL two weeks ago with biceps and knee issues.
“I would say if he was a ‘5’, he’s probably an ‘8’ or a ‘9’ right now,” Roberts said.
He also returned as a ‘2.’
For the first time since Mookie Betts suffered a fractured hand when he was hit by a pitch on June 16, 2024, Roberts wrote Ohtani’s name in as the No. 2 hitter in the Dodgers’ lineup behind Betts.
Roberts said he plans to go with Betts-Ohtani against left-handed pitching (like the Padres’ Wednesday starter, Robbie Ray) and switch to Ohtani-Betts against right-handed pitching (like Thursday’s starter, Nick Pivetta).
“I just feel good about it,” Roberts said of the decision to use both players at leadoff. “It just makes it tougher to navigate versus left(-handed pitching). There’s a Mookie tax. If you want to get to Freddie (Freeman, batting fourth), there’s a Will Smith tax. I like that and versus a right-hander I like kind of flipping those two for the same reasons.”
In four starts as the leadoff hitter before Ohtani returned, Betts was 8 for 16 with four doubles and two home runs.
Overall, the Dodgers went 10-3 in the 13 games Ohtani missed.
SEE YOU SOON
In order to make room for Ohtani on the active roster, rookie outfielder Josue De Paula was sent to Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he made his Triple-A debut Wednesday night in OKC’s playoff game against Las Vegas.
De Paula is expected to rejoin the Dodgers for next week’s bye week and is still in the running for a spot on the postseason roster. Given a “runway” to get at-bats at DH in Ohtani’s absence, De Paula went 10 for 31 (.323) with five extra-base hits (three doubles, a triple and a home run). Perhaps most impressive, he walked 11 times in 42 plate appearances while striking out just five times.
“It was actually an easier conversation than you guys probably would expect, given how well he’s performed,” Roberts said of telling De Paula he was being sent back to the minors – however briefly.
“This was the original thought that once Shohei gets back, we’re going to send him out. We had a runway to give him, which we gave him and he performed more than admirably.”
By sending De Paula out on Wednesday, he will be eligible to be recalled in time for the first game of a best-of-five National League Division Series next week.
“He’s a part of the conversation and he’s earned that and that’s what I told him last night,” Roberts said.
Roberts said De Paula showed in his short audition that he is “a special hitter.”
“Doesn’t chase. Moves the ball forward. The threat of power. Lefties don’t faze him,” Roberts recounted. “Hitters don’t (usually) see the ball that quickly out of hand. It’s a gift. No moment is going to be too big for that kid (if he is on the postseason roster).”
PITCHING PLANS
In addition to activating Ohtani on Wednesday, the Dodgers activated starting pitcher Tarik Skubal from the bereavement list and sent right-handed reliever Kyle Hurt back to Triple-A.
Skubal is scheduled to make his final regular-season start on Friday night in San Francisco. Blake Snell came out of his bullpen session on Tuesday with no issues in the groin injury that forced him to leave his start last week after one inning. He is expected to start Saturday’s game in San Francisco as a final test before the postseason.
UP NEXT
Padres (RHP Nick Pivetta, 3-2, 3.30 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Tyler Glasnow, 5-1, 3.46 ERA), Thursday, 7:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, TBS, 570 AM
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