LOS ANGELES -- After a minimum-length stay on the injured list, Shohei Ohtani is due back in the Dodgers' lineup imminently.
Ohtani is expected to be activated from the 15-day IL for Wednesday's game against the Padres at Dodger Stadium, manager Dave Roberts said Tuesday. Ohtani has appeared in only three games for L.A. this month, last playing on Sept. 7, when his lingering right biceps and left knee injuries worsened to the extent that the team decided he needed an extended period of rest in order to get right for the postseason.
"Unless I hear otherwise," Roberts said, "he'll be in the lineup [Wednesday]."
Ohtani will return only as a hitter, as his attempt to ramp back up as a pitcher in August coincided with the flareup of his biceps and knee injuries, which he had dealt with since at least June. In his 24 games before going on the IL, he hit .198 (19-for-96) with 34 strikeouts.
Overall, Ohtani recorded a .902 OPS and hit a team-leading 30 homers before landing on the IL for the first time in his three seasons as a Dodger.
Ohtani's return comes with five games remaining in the regular season, and he is expected to play in all of them in order to make up for the at-bats he missed. He was unable to face live pitching while on the IL, instead taking coach batting practice and hitting off the Trajekt machine, which simulates real pitchers.
With San Diego starting southpaw Robbie Ray, Ohtani may not be in his usual leadoff spot on Wednesday. Roberts said he will consider a platoon atop the order, with Mookie Betts (.984 OPS in his last 40 games entering Tuesday) potentially leading off against left-handers and Ohtani leading off against right-handers.
"I do think I should think through the Mookie vs. left situation, but I have to think about the entire lineup structure," Roberts said. "That's probably the way it's going to fall out, but I haven't totally decided yet."
The Dodgers were without Ohtani in the lineup for 17 of their last 18 games, but they have fared well even without their best hitter. Entering Tuesday, L.A. had only lost three games since losing Ohtani to the IL.
While Ohtani is not expected to come back feeling quite 100 percent, Roberts described him as "considerably" better compared with when he went on the IL.
"I would say if he was a 5 [on a scale from 1-10], he's probably an 8 or a 9 right now," Roberts said.
With their most meaningful games of the year fast approaching, the Dodgers will take whatever Ohtani can do for them moving forward.