The Los Angeles Dodgers are moving superstar Shohei Ohtani down to fifth in the batting order for Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves.
Ohtani hit second for both Games 1 and 2 of the series. He was 1-for-4 with a single in both games, but had two strikeouts in Game 2 as the Dodgers lost 3-2 to even the series at one game apiece.
Ohtani was still extremely productive at the plate in 2026, but did regress a bit from his three MVP seasons the years prior. After slashing .282/.392/.622 with 55 home runs and 102 RBI in 2025, Ohtani slashed .275/.377/.512 with 30 home runs and 81 RBI in 135 games.
He missed time with left knee and right bicep issues throughout the season.
Manager Dave Roberts and Ohtani each confirmed prior to the start of the NLDS it was something the two-way superstar might have to manage throughout the postseason.
“Shohei’s not 100 per cent, but he’s going to be in the lineup,” Roberts said Saturday. “I think that most players that are performing now are not 100 per cent. Obviously with Shohei, it’s a bigger deal because of the player, but there’s a lot of players that are not 100 per cent, and they’ve just got to manage it.”
Left-hander Chris Sale will take the hill for Atlanta while righty Yoshinobu Yamamoto counters for L.A. in Game 3.
