LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani started on the mound but was absent from the lineup Tuesday night, the second time in 13 days the Los Angeles Dodgers have given their two-way star what amounts to a half day.
“His goal is to make every start, and so with that, there has to be some compromise and some openness to kind of read and react,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “So far, I think we’re doing a nice job and he’s open to that.”
The Dodgers will continually seek opportunities to give Ohtani partial respites throughout the regular season, either by maintaining a strict six-man rotation or by finding opportunities to keep him out of the lineup on his start days.
Tuesday, the second of a three-game series against the Miami Marlins, made sense for several reasons.
It marked the Dodgers’ 12th consecutive game without a day off. A day game will follow on Wednesday, in which Ohtani will return to the lineup, and a day off will follow, providing him with another break. Removing Ohtani from the lineup also allows the Dodgers to give more playing time to their young backup catcher, Dalton Rushing, who entered slashing .385/.467/.974 and replaced Ohtani in the leadoff spot.
The priority, though, is keeping Ohtani fresh for a season the Dodgers hope will last seven months, while being mindful of his age (31) and the fact he’s taking on a full-time two-way role for the first time in three years.
“Obviously having him do both duties, in theory, practice, it’s great,” Roberts said. “But how sustainable is it without kind of taking a little bit off his plate a little bit? That’s the question, and it’s not an exact science.”
Ohtani, two full seasons removed from a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament, has looked as good as ever on the mound, posting a 0.38 ERA through his first four starts. Offensively, he recently ended a 12-game homerless drought and is now slashing .278/.398/.508. Roberts’ conversations with Ohtani have been day-to-day focused. The two, he added, haven’t necessarily spoken big picture about future off days.
“He just kind of wants communication,” Roberts said. “I told him my decision, and he was OK with it and moved on.”
There will be other days like this, though the Dodgers don’t necessarily know which ones at the moment. The hope is that focusing only on pitching will make Ohtani better on the mound. Even more important is what not hitting — not taking batting practice hours before the game, not rushing to lead off the bottom of the first after coming off the mound, not running the bases throughout the night — can mean for his body holding up through October.
“The main thing is what’s best for him,” Roberts said. “That’s more of the health part and appreciating that there’s a long way to go and he’s taking on a lot.”
