You'd have to go all the way back to August to find the last time Shohei Ohtani has hit a home run for the Los Angeles Dodgers, leading a ton of fans to wonder: What's going on with Ohtani as his struggles continued into the postseason?
The answer might be health. With knee and biceps issues this year, he might be battling those injuries. And with the Dodgers down 2-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers, manager Dave Roberts might have to do the unthinkable: Bench Ohtani.
Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal and Katie Woo: "According to a team source, if the Dodgers elect to sit Ohtani, who has dealt with injury concerns this season, rookie Josue De Paula would be the top candidate to take his place as designated hitter in the starting lineup. The source spoke
anonymously so as to freely discuss the potential decision."
What did Dave Roberts say about possibly benching Shohei Ohtani?
Dave Roberts on Shohei Ohtani
— DodgersMuse (@LADodgersMuse) October 13, 2026
“He doesn’t feel great. 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.”
“I’ll have (that conversation) with him tomorrow.” pic.twitter.com/Ip7VBcSR2W
"He doesn't feel great," said the manager, who added that he'll have a conversation with Ohtani on Tuesday. We'll see if it leads to him sitting out.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Will struggling Shohei Ohtani really get benched by Dodgers in Game 3?
