Editor's note: Shohei Ohtani will be in the Dodgers lineup for Game 3 of the NLCS, manager Dave Roberts announced Tuesday.
It’s time to bench Shohei Ohtani.
Do it delicately. Do it with respect. But just do it.
“I think for me, it’s having a conversation with him tomorrow, kind of try to figure out what’s best for him, what’s best for us,’’ Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic after the Dodgers fell behind the Milwaukee Brewers two games to none in the National League Championship Series. “He certainly has earned that conversation and deserves it.”
That sounds dangerously wishy-washy.
Forget about figuring out what’s right for Ohtani, the Dodgers superstar. It’s time to focus on what’s right for the Dodgers – and that was eminently
clear on Tuesday, Oct. 14 in Game 2 of the NLCS.
Ohtani, the team’s designated hitter, went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts. His postseason batting average dropped to .150. That’s 3-for-20 at the plate without a single extra-base hit. He has also managed to draw three walks to score two runs, and that’s not nearly enough for a designated hitter with a team in dire straits.
Ohtani replacement: Rookie can provide spark
The obvious move is to replace Ohtani with Josue De Paula, the Dodgers' 21-year-old rookie.
To have any chance of rallying in this series, Los Angeles needs a spark. De Paula is the best candidate to deliver it.
The Dodgers called him up Sept. 11. In 31 at-bats, De Paula collected 10 hits for a batting average of .323. He also had three doubles, a triple and a home run, giving him a slugging percentage of .581 and an OPS of 1.081.
He’s a disciplined hitter.
During the postseason, he’s pinch-hit three times, drawing two walks and fouling out to third. To see what De Paula can do, he deserves a full complement of at-bats every game. The Dodgers deserve it too, if they hope to become the seventh team to rally from a two games-to-none deficit and win a best-of-seven AL or NL championship series.
Ohtani's injuries at play?
Ohtani hasn’t homered since Aug. 18, dating back 23 games. Over that same stretch, he has three extra-base hits. (De Paula has three extra-base hits in his last seven at-bats.)
The slump isn’t Ohtani’s fault. Inflammation in his left knee forced him to stop pitching for the rest of the season. Then he developed issues with his right bicep and neck.
He was on the injured list for 12 days and clearly never recovered.
Every time Ohtani steps to the plate, Dodgers Nation hopes, prays, and pleads that the two-way star will snap out of his slump.
It’s time to end the futility and for the Dodgers to give themselves a chance by benching Ohtani.
He can handle the truth.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Dodgers' decision to bench Shohei Ohtani should have been a no-brainer | Opinion
