Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers Manager Disagree About Reason for His Offensive Struggles

Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani has been the designated hitter in just one of his last four pitching starts. This has been a major change from how he has previously been utilized throughout his career, and it's been an adjustment for the star player.

Los Angeles has wanted to manage the workload of Ohtani over the course of a long season, especially since he has dealt with multiple serious elbow injuries over the course of his career. But the team has also been trying to navigate a hitting slump for the slugger, and allowing him to focus on one aspect of the game at a time could theoretically help.

However, Ohtani and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts seem to be in disagreement about why he has been struggling. Ohtani, being the true competitor that he is, wants to fulfill his two-way duties, and doesn't think the extra workload is leading to his offensive struggles.

“I don’t think so, personally, that pitching has been affecting my hitting,” Ohtani said after Tuesday's game in which he pitched a season-high seven innings. “At the same time, [this slump] has been a little bit longer than my expectations, in terms of the hitting side of things.”

This year is the first time that Ohtani has taken on a full pitching load since 2023, and it seems to be having an impact on his bat. Roberts, for one, believes that the extra pitching workload has affected his hitting.

“I do,” Roberts said when asked if the pitching workload has made a direct impact on his hitting. “With pitching there’s the day of the start, what it takes on your mind in the box, the day after you’re hitting, the tax on your body and what you endured the day before, your outing. So that affects your hitting. That’s two days there.

“I feel very good about writing Shohei’s name in the lineup every time. But I do think what he’s done on the pitching side, how well he’s pitched, there’s been a little bit of fallback or whatever on the hitting. But I do think it will correct itself as time goes on.”

At the plate, Ohtani has had a slow start to the season, at least for his normally high standards. Overall, the slugger is hitting .240 with six home runs, 14 runs batted in and an OPS of .814. For reference, he's had an OPS above 1.000 in each of the last three seasons.

Ohtani is currently on a 17-at-bat hitless streak, showing that something is off with him at the plate. So this decision to take him out of the lineup when he pitches is just one way for Los Angeles to help him navigate everything.

But on the mound, he has been excellent, posting an ERA of 0.97 over 37 innings of work for the team. Ohtani has placed himself into the conversation for the National League Cy Young award, which has been his goal since the start of the season.

Shohei Ohtani has now made six starts this season:

7 IP, 2 ER, 8 K vs. Astros (didn’t hit)
6 IP, 1 ER, 9 K vs. Marlins (didn't hit)
6 IP, 0 ER, 7 K vs. Giants
6 IP, 1 ER, 10 K vs. Mets (didn't hit)
6 IP, 0 ER, 2 K vs. Blue Jays
6 IP, 0 ER, 6 K vs. Guardians

He has a 0.97 ERA. pic.twitter.com/247XjOqb6g
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) May 6, 2026

It remains to be seen if Ohtani is in the lineup the next time he takes the mound. If he breaks out of his offensive slump before then, he could have a better case with his manager.

“If I was hitting well, I’m sure the team would want me to pitch and hit as well,” Ohtani said. “But I understand, in a situation where [they’re saying], ‘Hey, just focus on pitching, turn the page on the hitting.’ I understand that the team might think like that.”

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