Dodgers' Dave Roberts Says the Quiet Part Out Loud on Shohei Ohtani's Return to Pitching

It's been two months since Shohei Ohtani last took the mound for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Knee and biceps injuries have kept Ohtani away from the starting rotation since July 3. The 31-year-old has worked hard to make a return to pitching, but has experienced a series of setbacks that has the Dodgers mulling shutting him down as a pitcher for the season.

Ohtani has been dominant on the mound when healthy, with an 8-2 record as a starter and a 1.79 ERA. However, if the likelihood of Ohtani making pitching starts in the postseason is low and the impact of his pitching rehabilitation is getting in the way of his offensive production, the Dodgers are wondering if it's best to keep his focus on his role as a designated hitter.

“I think that I certainly know the value of him pitching, but if you’re not 100%, there’s possibly some bleed-in to the performance offensively,” Roberts told reporters. “That’s just me kind of theorizing."

Shohei Ohtani does not look like himself at all right now. I've said this for months, pitching injured was going to lead to a decline in his bat. Shut him down from pitching. Focus on getting as healthy as possible for October. They need his offense. pic.twitter.com/y876AxkcIQ
— Doug McKain (@DMAC_LA) September 3, 2026

The Dodgers initially hoped Ohtani would be fit enough to build up to pitching five innings before the playoffs began. With news breaking last Friday that his bullpen session was cut short, Ohtani's return to pitching in a live game continues to be delayed.

The benefit of Ohtani's situation is that he doesn't count against the roster as a pitcher, only as a designated hitter. He could open for another starting pitcher and still bring value beyond his listed position.

“You know, there’s no hard timeline because any inning that he gives us is added value given his roster availability,” Roberts said. “So to say that you could give us one inning or two innings is not valuable, that’s not true.

“The cost is, does it affect his health? So there’s really no timeline, definitive deadline to say, ‘Hey, this is where we’re going to stop.’ So that’s kind of where we’re at.”

Since taking a step back from pitching, it would appear that Ohtani's knee and biceps injuries are getting in the way of his batting production. While Ohtani is still performing at an impressive level, he had a tame August (.241/.322/.472 with six home runs) compared to his usual standards. In his last 10 games, he's batting just .103.

“I’ve seen it over the last couple weeks, where he hasn’t been who he is," Roberts said after Thursday's game in which Ohtani struck out four times. "I know he feels that he needs to post and be in the lineup. If he's upright, he should play. I respect that. But if he's feeling the way that visibly looks, then really not helping anyone. So that's the conversation I'll have with him."

Shohei Ohtani is 7 for his last 51 with 20 strikeouts….

You don’t even have to watch him swing a bat to know his body is doing something differently as he deals with all of his injuries…

Arthrogenic muscle inhibition is the body’s auto response to protecting injured regions… pic.twitter.com/SfyfTvZ3Vv
— Prehension Athletics (@tommym8) September 3, 2026

If stopping Ohtani's pitching duties leads to a more impactful bat, the Dodgers — whose offense has been ailing as of late — would likely take that trade. Whether or not Ohtani, who takes pride in his unparalleled abilities, is willing to do so is the question.

"It’s his decision, honestly," Roberts said. "If he feels like he’s capable, then we’ll run the plan out until it doesn’t make any sense.”

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