Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is slowly showing his unparalleled talent on the mound and at the plate, but manager Dave Roberts is evaluating a key modification to his offensive role that he suggests could unleash the most complete and enduring version of the Japanese player, considering that he is still recovering from his long and complicated injury.
Ohtani’s recent performance has been stellar, especially at the plate, where he leads in home runs, slugging percentage and OPS. His last appearance on the mound, last Sunday against the Washington Nationals, was further proof of his talent: he pitched a scoreless inning, with 18 pitches, 12 of which were strikes and recorded two strikeouts. However, the recovery from his injury remains an issue to be evaluated by the coaching staff.
It is in this context that Dave Roberts has hinted at an adjustment in Ohtani’s position in the lineup. The manager revealed in a conversation with SportsNet LA that although he has not perceived signs of fatigue in the Japanese, he has to take care of him. “I think right now we’ll stay status quo, but you know, coming out of this, it might make more sense to drop him down to second, third or fourth. But right now, we’ll stay status quo. I haven’t seen signs of fatigue.“
Ohtani wants to go for more
Shohei Ohtani knows he must take it easy and listen to his coach, however, the desire also weighs and the Japanese wants to go for everything. “I’ve been able to get back into game action earlier than expected. In that sense, I do feel like I have to work on some things. But at the same time, I do feel like I can perform better, even better than I used to be able to perform,” he said
Roberts’ decision to consider a change in the lineup is not because of poor performance by the Japanese, but rather to prioritize Ohtani’s long-term talent. On such a unique and delicate path, every strategic move, from limiting his pitching innings to his position in the batting order, is key to the player once again becoming the Dodgers’ great figure.
The Dodgers’ safeguards with Ohtani
Dave Roberts knows that Shohei Ohtani has had a lot of injury problems and that he must take care of him. However, he is not the only one, as the club has also been prioritizing certain aspects to take the player’s situation more calmly.
Among the Dodgers’ care for Ohtani is the limitation of innings and pitches, where the Japanese player’s appearances are very regularized. In addition, the workload in training has also been slower, hoping that the player can take things more slowly.
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