In Los Angeles, they know very well that, as in any card game, during the MLB postseason, wild cards are the most valuable figures that exist because they can be used at your convenience at the right time. However, one should not rush, you have to analyze them well to use them strategically. In Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Dodgers have one of them and are already planning how to get the most out of him.
Dave Roberts‘ side are back in the playoffs for the 13th consecutive season and ready to begin their title defence. Their first-round opponent? The up-and-coming Cincinnati Reds, who are in the postseason for the first time since 2020 and will face Ohtani, more than the Dodgers ace, their wild card.
All the ways the Dodgers can use Shohei Ohtani
When you have a player who can do so many things, you have to at least consider what might work: First, he could just be the designated hitter and never pitch. Another is that he could be the starting pitcher and remain in the game as the designated hitter. This is exactly what Ohtani has been doing for months since his return to the mound in June
Finally, he could be the DH, then a reliever, and then move to the outfield. Don’t blame us for this idea. Ohtani has spoken openly about having “different conversations with different people, and of course that has come up,” with “that” being, well, this. “As a player, if I’m told to go somewhere, I want to be prepared to do it,” Ohtani said recently.
Clayton Kershaw out of Dodgers Wild Card Series
Clayton Kershaw will not be on the Los Angeles Dodgers’ roster for the National League Wild Card Series. The team has finalized its rotation for the start of the postseason and the three-time Cy Young Award winner has been ruled out for this phase, although he could be used as a reliever if they advance.
The decision was made after the left-hander made his last start of the regular season on Sunday against the Mariners, closing an 18-year cycle as a Major League starter. Kershaw had announced on September 18 that he will end his career at the end of the 2025 campaign, leaving a legacy that profiles him as a future Hall of Famer.
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