Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Reveals Why He's Not Happy Early in 2026 Season

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way star Shohei Ohtani isn't happy with his early results at the plate this season.

“I’ve been able to get on base, and that’s a good thing,” Ohtani said through interpreter Will Ireton on Tuesday. “But on pitches that I should be making impact, I’m not quite able to do that to the extent that I should be able to. That’s the part that I’m not quite happy about.”

Ohtani went 1-for-3 while drawing two walks in that game. It's important to note that Ohtani made these comments following a game where he served as both the starting pitcher for the two-time defending champions as well as the designated hitter. On the mound, the right-hander had a much better night.

Ohtani recorded his first win of the season for the Dodgers, tossing six shutout innings with six strikeouts. While he's found early success as a pitcher, his bat hasn't quite surfaced.

The trend continued during the Dodgers' 4-1 loss to the Cleveland Guardians Wednesday night as Ohtani went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts.

The Dodgers two-way star has gone 3-for-18 (.167) to start the year with an OPS of .590.

Ohtani's early offensive struggles may be because of his intense focus on pitching, which has him primed for a Cy Young-caliber performance in 2026.

Manager Dave Roberts believes Ohtani will be in the conversation for the highly-esteemed award this season.

“Because of just talent, ability, will. If he does that, he’ll be in the conversation, absolutely. I have no doubt," Roberts said.

“He’s ready to go. The intensity was there. The focus was there. And the execution and all that stuff was there.”

Ohtani is an MVP, World Series champion and All-Star, but he has never won a Cy Young award. The competition is great, given he is teammates with another likely candidate in Yoshinobu Yamamoto.

Is Shohei Ohtani Focused on Winning a Cy Young in 2026?

One of the hottest Dodgers topics this spring was Ohtani entering his first full season as a two-way star in LA. The 2026 campaign marks the first time Ohtani will be fully healthy without restrictions to pitch and hit.

The Dodgers superstar was asked whether a Cy Young was a priority entering spring.

“If the end result is getting a Cy Young, that’s great,” Ohtani said. “Getting a Cy Young means being able to throw more innings and pitch throughout the whole season, so if that’s the end result, that’s a good sign for me. I’m just focused on being healthy the whole year.”

As Ohtani and Yamamoto continue making their case for the award, the two LA stars will have to watch out for other elite pitchers in the NL such as Paul Skenes of the Pittsburgh Pirates and Cristopher Sanchez of the Philadelphia Phillies.

Sanchez seems to be the hottest pitcher in the NL, sporting a 0.79 ERA across 11.1 innings of work thus far.