Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani has struggled in recent weeks. He ended the regular season in a slump after previously dealing with injury concerns, and his struggles have continued in the MLB playoffs. The 32-year-old is hitting just .150 across 24 plate appearances in the playoffs so far. Ohtani has refused to use injuries as an excuse, but his underperformance suggests he may still be battling injury trouble.

So, is there hope for Ohtani to bounce back soon? The Dodgers are playing the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series at the moment, as Milwaukee took the first two games of the series at home. The series is now set to shift back to LA, however.

Here are three reasons why Ohtani will make an impact back at Dodger Stadium.

Shohei Ohtani finds ways to contribute

I'm not trying to claim that Ohtani is going to hit three home runs in a single game like he did in last year's NLCS against the Brewers. Ohtani is a talented enough player to overcome his issues at the plate and at least make some sort of impact.

Perhaps he will begin slapping singles or doubles the other way. Maybe it will be a productive at-bat. He's looked lost at the plate in recent games, but doubting Ohtani is a difficult thing to do — even if injuries are hampering his performance.

Look for Ohtani to have much more competitive at-bats and make a greater impact over the next couple of games.

Dodger Stadium impact

A couple of years ago, Philadelphia Phillies star Trea Turner was in the middle of a concerning slump. Fans in Philadelphia decided to give him an ovation during a game in hopes that it would spark a confidence and momentum boost. Turner ended up getting back on track and turning his season around.

Perhaps Dodgers fans can take a similar approach in Los Angeles. Not that Ohtani is reading every headline about him, but the primary noise over the past two games has focused on the idea of benching Ohtani. The Dodgers are keeping Ohtani in the lineup, though, and now LA fans have an opportunity to make their support known.

While some fans may be frustrated, now is not the time to boo the team's best player. A loud ovation in Shohei Ohtani's first at-bat of Game 3 could help him find his footing at the plate.

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Brewers' Game 3 starter

The Brewers' pitching has been tremendous so far in the postseason. The bullpen is going to continue to be a problem for the Dodgers, but Milwaukee's Game 3 starting pitcher, Robert Gasser, is fairly inexperienced. He's made a total of 28 regular season appearances (27 starts) and three total playoff outings.

Going into Dodger Stadium as an opposing pitcher is never a simple task. Could Gasser silence the doubters and perform well? Absolutely. There is also a chance that the pressure will get to him and he could make some mistakes.

Ohtani has fed off mistakes in his career. He is not swinging the bat well right now, but he's still capable of turning on a fastball down the middle or a hanging breaking ball. Sometimes, all a hitter needs is one good moment to turn things around, and finding that moment against Gasser should be much easier than against someone like Jacob Misiorowski.