Shohei Ohtani is slumping... BAD. However, the Los Angeles Dodgers won't be benching their four-time MVP for Game 3 of the NLCS, manager Dave Roberts announced Tuesday.
Gasp. You mean to tell me a team isn't benching its $700-million player the most important time of the year. No way.
I hope you sense the sarcasm in my tone. Of course I'm not surprised the Dodgers aren't benching the reigning World Series MVP who was being compared to Babe Ruth in GOAT debates just last fall as he led the Dodgers to their second-straight title. I'm more surprised if people thought they'd actually do it.
Roberts clarified Tuesday he was never considering benching Ohtani, even with LA down 0-2 in its series against the Milwaukee Brewers, rather he wanted to have
a conversation with his superstar to see how he was feeling and whether Ohtani needed to take a couple days off. After that conversation, though, Roberts was convinced Ohtani is good to go.
"He's adamant he feels good enough to be in there. He's close to finding something with his swing. And I feel great about it," Roberts said. "He wants to be in there and help us win a ball game and win a championship."
Shohei Ohtani will be in the Dodgers starting lineup in Game 3 of the NLCS despite his recent struggles at the plate pic.twitter.com/fYzDEBPIbr
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 13, 2026
End of story. If Ohtani wants to play and he's healthy enough to play, you let him play.
To be sure, things have gotten rough for the slugger. Ohtani hasn't hit a home run since Aug. 18. In the time since, he's driven in just a single run. He's hitting .150 (3-of-20) through six games this postseason with seven strikeouts. But if anyone has earned the opportunity to work his way through a slump, it's best player in the sport. Especially when he hasn't been the biggest problem in LA's lineup.
That distinction belongs to catcher Will Smith, who has just one hit in 23 playoff at-bats (.043). And those two aren't alone. Batters are hitting a combined .212 in these playoffs, down from .244 in the regular season and .231 last postseason. In Game 2 on Monday, the Dodgers eked out just three hits as a team.
None of it excuses the poor performance of Ohtani, whom we should expect more from. But it does make you wonder how much benching him would even help. Because if Ohtani doesn't get going, the Dodgers probably aren't three-peating anyway. Roberts would have a much tougher decision if it was almost any other player, because it'd be one worth considering. When it comes to Ohtani, the decision was never in the manager's hands.
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This article originally appeared on For The Win: Dave Roberts not benching Shohei Ohtani shouldn't be that controversial
