The Los Angeles Dodgers face a real uphill battle. They trail the Milwaukee Brewers 2-0 in the NLCS and are on the verge of ending their championship reign.
Now, rumors are also circulating that Los Angeles may bench Shohei Ohtani, who's struggled at the plate this postseason.
However, MLB analyst Mark DeRosa firmly believes that the Dodgers won't take that chance, per MLB Network.
“There's no way,” DeRosa said. “I get it. Me and Chris Young were having this talk. You have won multiple World Series championships with these guys. It's not only Shohei Ohtani. Their whole offense is kind of cold. Let's keep it real. They're not swinging the bats well. So these guys have won you multiple World Series championships, and now, in a vacuum, we want to give those bats to Josue De Paula?”
Furthermore, DeRosa said it will take Ohtani telling manager Dave Roberts himself that he can't play for him to be taken out of the lineup.
“Shohei Ohtani, unless he can't physically go anymore, walks into Dave Roberts' office. This is for me. I'm going down with the ship with Shohei Ohtani. He has to walk into my office and tell me he can't go.”
Article Continues Below#MLBCentral discusses the Dodgers reportedly considering removing Shohei Ohtani from the lineup for Game 3 in LA. pic.twitter.com/seH2Mq1Z9v
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) October 13, 2026
Ohtani is batting .150 with no home runs or RBIs this postseason. On Monday, Ohtani went 0-for-4 at the plate in a 7-4 loss to the Brewers. In Game 1, he went 1-for-3 with a walk in a 2-1 loss.
Game 3 of the NLCS is on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium at 5:00 pm PST/7:00 pm CST/8:00 pm EST.