Shohei Ohtani Had Hilarious Response to Dodgers Hitting Him 5th in NLDS Game 3 Lineup

The Los Angeles Dodgers made sweeping changes to their starting lineup for Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.

None, however, were more shocking than the placement of four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani.

Ohtani is hitting fifth in the lineup, the lowest spot he's had as a starter since 2020 while he was with the Los Angeles Angels.

At that point in his career, he was a zero-time MVP award winner.

The last time Shohei Ohtani started a game hitting 5th or lower in the lineup was in 2020 with the Los Angeles Angels.

He didn't win his first MVP until 2021.

Just an unbelievable decision by Dave Roberts and the Dodgers. pic.twitter.com/6KjWgA1W9l
— Noah Camras (@noahcamras) October 6, 2026

The Dodgers' decision makes sense, though, as Ohtani has struggled mightily for the last couple months. Moreover, the Braves have one of the game's best left-handers on the mound in Chris Sale, who Ohtani is just 3-for-15 against in his career.

Still, seeing arguably the best player in baseball that low in the lineup is certainly jarring.

Ohtani was fully on board with the move, though.

Roberts said before Tuesday's game that Ohtani was not only receptive to the decision, but joked that he was going to tell the manager to hit him seventh during his September slump.

"The guys I feel at the top have a good chance to get on base, and I do think that there's going to be opportunities where the game, the situation, bleeds into Shohei's at-bat," Roberts said. "So I had a good conversation with him last night, told him my thoughts. And he completely understood and said, in all honesty, he said, 'I was going to come to you in September and say, why don't you hit me seventh.'

"My point being, he wants to do whatever will help the team. So I feel good about this today."

Roberts also said Ohtani's move in the lineup is just for Tuesday's game with Sale on the mound. On Wednesday, he's not expected to be hitting that low.

Dave Roberts Dissects Shohei Ohtani's Struggles

On Monday, Roberts looked into the struggles of his superstar, who's continuing to deal with nagging injuries to his knee, biceps and neck.

"Like we've talked about, he's not 100%," Roberts said. "But at the end of the day, he can still do a better job of staying in the strike zone. ... I think that's something that — it's hard to have success when you're out of the zone.

"And Shohei understands, any hitter understands that. So I think that's the thing is — then the question is how do we get him into it? I think there's a little bit of trying to do too much. I think that's a piece."

Ohtani is 2-for-8 with two singles in the NLDS. After returning from the injured list in late-September, he went 5-for-21 with one extra-base hit. His last home run was Aug. 18.

Roberts admitted Ohtani could be trying too hard to chase a home run.

"I think there's something to that. Hitting homers, slugging, it's part of his hallmark in the batter's box. He's very in tune with what's being said, what he hasn't done," Roberts said. "And trying to chase slug [Tuesday] night might not be the right plan, given the starter. But I do think that, yeah, there's something because he feels the responsibility to kind of slug. But that's not the case. That's kind of the compete, competitor in him."

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