Just a few days ago, the MLB officially announced its partnership with Polymarket as the official Prediction Market Exchange partner, and many fans were not happy. And the effects of this are showing now, as Shohei Ohtani has not had a good start to the season.

It was reported by Pikkit, saying, “Over half a mill already lost on Shohei Ohtani HR bets this season.” This comes after how the season has started for Shohei Ohtani.

It has been reported that fans have lost around $510,000 because Shohei Ohtani has not been able to hit a homer in any of his games. Reports indicated that fans placed around 42k individual bets for him to hit a homer, and all of them failed.

With how Ohtani’s WBC run went with multiple homers, the expectations from him were big, but it looks like he is falling short and is not happy about it.

Shohei Ohtani is 3-18 at the plate with no extra base hits, showing how he is struggling with contact. In games like the Dodgers’ 4-1 loss to Cleveland, he went 0-for-3 with two strikeouts. Even with multiple walks, which show patience, he has not been able to provide for the Dodgers in clutch moments.

And the frustration is not just of the fans but is from Ohtani, too. In a recent interview, Ohtani admitted, “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.” But it’s not just him who is falling short.

Many of the Dodgers batters do not have an average above .200, showing signs of the 2025 season. Yes, the Dodgers did win the ring in 2025, but their offensive struggles were something no one could miss. Players like Mookie Betts (3-22 in 2026) and Freddie Freeman (5-24 in 2026) are also struggling to get on base consistently.

We saw in 2025 that all the postseason games the Dodgers won were close, but they came out on top. But they might not face the same fortunes this time around. With the Los Angeles Dodgers heading to face the Nationals next, it will be interesting to watch what changes he will make to get going in the season.

Is Shohei Ohtani a bid for Cy Young in 2026?

Shohei Ohtani’s bat might be struggling, but his arm is spitting fire.

Shohei Ohtani opened his 2026 pitching season by firing six shutout innings against the Cleveland Guardians. He allowed just 1 hit and struck out 6 in their 4-1 win. After missing major mound action in 2024, the team brought Ohtani back to the mound in mid 2025, and he did a decent job after his recovery.

He finished 2025 with an ERA of 2.87 with a 1-1 record. But he did struggle in the postseason, as he finished the postseason with an ERA of 4.43. But that was his first time back on the mound in over a year. That is not the case now.

The Dodgers have waited to see him as a fully two‑way player since he joined on a 10‑year deal in 2024. And he has shown his desire to contribute to the team with successful ABS challenges. In the rain-soaked game against the Guardians, he struggled a bit with control at the start but was able to retire his first seven batters.

Looking ahead, the Los Angeles Dodgers plan to fit Ohtani back into the rotation with six days of rest before his next start. With pitchers like Yamamoto and Glasnow around him and Snell yet to return, Ohtani can take a bit of time finding his rhythm.

Ohtani, with a 0.00 ERA in 2026 and a dominant start, could realistically be a great bid for the Cy Young in the NL.