Despite a .154 average in four NLDS games, the Los Angeles Dodgers have committed to keeping Shohei Ohtani in the lineup. “To win eight more games and claim the World Series title, we need Ohtani’s power,” the Los Angeles Dodgers manager acknowledged. But moving Ohtani between the No. 2, No. 5, and No. 4 spots hasn’t delivered the desired results. Yet they face a delicate balance: how to keep Ohtani’s bat feared without benching him entirely.

“The Dodgers are going to keep running him out there. Now, they dropped him to fifth in game three, batted him fourth in game four. They’re toying with the lineup a little bit, trying to figure out the best combination. And you don’t want to bury him. You don’t want to bat him eighth the way Joe Torre did with Alex Rodriguez one year,” Rosenthal said via Foul Territory.

Ohtani’s decline accelerated down the stretch: .202 over 30 games, then .167 with no homers in his final 15. The same Dave Roberts benched Mookie Betts last year after the latter batted .178 over his prior 30 games. Hence, the Dodgers are in a tough spot with their $700 million star. Benching him or dropping him down is the standard protocol now, but Ohtani is different, especially when his postseason stats are concerned.

His postseason pedigree is undeniable: .333 in last year’s World Series with 3 homers, including a 4-for-4 Game 3 with two doubles. Hence, Ohtani’s sheer reputation dictates how opposing managers and pitchers attack the entire Dodgers lineup. Ohtani’s bat was so feared that the Toronto Blue Jays chose to completely stop pitching to him as Game 3 dragged on. He was intentionally walked 4 times.

The Dodgers shouldn’t lose that advantage this time by benching or burying him further down the lineup. Ohtani’s feared bat forces pitchers to pitch around him, protecting the rest of the lineup. Benching him removes that strategic advantage

Despite three consecutive outs in Game 4, a strikeout, a warning-track fly, and a groundout, the Dodgers remain committed to Ohtani. “At some point, it’s going to click for him,” Dodgers president Andrew Friedman said. “And the other team’s going to be in big trouble when that happens.”

In July 2024, Ohtani went 1-for-12 over his previous three games, showing over-aggression by chasing pitches low and outside the strike zone. The slump was broken as Ohtani went 2-for-2 with two RBIs, a home run, a triple, two walks, a hit-by-pitch, and a stolen base in the next game. Moreover, he showed signs of resurgence on Wednesday.

“He did walk, steal a base, and score a run in game four. It was encouraging at least to see him kind of moving around better,” Rosenthal said, staying optimistic. “I thought the intent to stay on the baseball was better than it was in Games 1 and 2. So that’s also encouraging,” Roberts agreed. So, Shohei Ohtani may need more time to get that one desired swing. But benching or dropping him further down the lineup is out of the question. Alex Rodriguez is the proof.

In 2006, Joe Torre dropped A-Rod from cleanup to 8th in Game 4 after a 1-for-11 start. The Yankees lost 6-1, and A-Rod’s relationship with the team fractured.

The Dodgers will certainly not make the same mistake. As the Dodgers prepare to face the Milwaukee Brewers in Game 1 of the NLCS, Shohei Ohtani’s resurgence will be the biggest crowd-puller.