Shohei Ohtani is the biggest piece of the Dodgers puzzle, whether he pitches or not. He’s the team’s best hitter by a sizable distance, and getting him right for the postseason is of the utmost importance.
So as he potentially sits for a third straight game for the first time since joining the Dodgers, let’s take a look at who has filled in at designated hitter at the times when Ohtani hasn’t batted, whether by days off or on some days he was pitching earlier in the year.
Ohtani is hitting .279/.382/.526
with 30 home runs in his 128 starts at designated hitter. Eight different players have combined for the other 13 starts at DH, plus various late-game fill-ins over the course of the year, have hit .276/.344/.534 with three home runs and six doubles in 64 plate appearances. In other words, they’ve held their own so far in the small sample size.
Facing left-handed starting pitchers the last two nights, the right-handed Alex Call started at DH, and the left-handed Dalton Rushing pinch-hit later in the game. Rushing has played in all four games since getting activated on Tuesday, and is hitless in four at-bats, with three strikeouts and a hit by pitch. He started three times at DH earlier this season.
Other Dodgers at DH
- Dalton Rushing 3 starts, 16 PA, 2-for-16, double, home run, 4 RBI
- Alex Call 2 starts, 10 PA, 2-for-9, 2 doubles, 1 walk
- Teoscar Hernández 2 starts, 8 PA, 4-for-7, home run, 2 RBI, 1 walk
- Will Smith 2 starts, 8 PA, 2-for-6, double, home run, RBI, 2 walks
- Miguel Rojas 1 start, 5 PA, 3-for-5, 2 doubles, RBI
- Ryan Ward 1 start, 5 PA, 0-for-3, 2 walks
- Santiago Espinal 1 start, 5 PA, 2-for-5, 2 RBI
- Andy Pages 1 start, 4 PA, 1-for-4, RBI
- Tommy Edman 0-for-1
- Chuckie Robinson 0-for-1
- Ben Rortvedt 0-for-1
Saturday game info
- Teams: Dodgers vs. Nationals
- Ballpark: Dodger Stadium
- Start time: 6:10 p.m.
- TV: SportsNet LA
- Radio: AM 570 (English), KTNQ 1020 AM (Spanish)
