Shohei Ohtani's Struggles Loom Over Dodgers Ahead of NLDS vs. Braves

October has come. It's Shotime again.

Injuries depleted Los Angeles Dodgers two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani down the stretch. He hasn't pitched since July 3, and unless the Dodgers are pulling an all-time con and have had him warming up in a secret lab somewhere, we won't see Ohtani on a mound again until the offseason. Whenever that starts.

That's OK for them, right? Because he's still one of the best hitters in the league, the best in the National League in 2024-25.

Only, he hasn't been in 2026.

Even at the plate, Ohtani hasn't been himself in quite a while. He batted .200 in 36 plate appearances in September, his last month cut in two parts by a trip to the injured list to rest a sore knee (and possibly other ailments). Going back to Aug. 1, he's batting .232/.325/.420 with six home runs in 157 plate appearances.

Even into the second half of 2026, Ohtani was the presumptive NL MVP again. People were either in denial about the superiority of Pete Crow-Armstrong's season, or just expecting Ohtani to find his stroke at some point, but the latter never happened. He's been Ordinary Ohtani at best.

And yet, the Atlanta Braves have to be wary of what they'll see from Shohei when the NLDS begins Saturday. This is what Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters about Ohtani the other day:

"I feel confident that you're going to see the best version of Shohei of the last two months," Roberts said. "I know that's sort of a low bar given his injury, but I do think that he's as healthy as he's been in quite some time. And every day from the training staff, it keeps getting better. So yeah, No. 1, he'll be a threat being in the lineup, but I do think that the performance piece will be what we're hoping for."

Roberts could just be running interference for Ohtani. Hoping and coping. Giving the Braves pitching staff something to fear, or at least something to think about. Ohtani is a lot to think about.

The Dodgers have won postseason series before when Ohtani has been neutralized at the plate. It happened as recently as the NLDS in 2025, against the Philadelphia Phillies. So even if Roberts is mistaken about his star and the Braves handle Ohtani, the Dodgers have other options.

Mookie Betts struggled over the past two years to swing the bat like he used to do all of the time, but he's been performing like himself again for at least two months. Will Smith has turned on the power in his last 21 games. Andy Pages is finding his stroke. Teoscar Hernandez and Max Muncy haven't been at their best but they've performed well above league average since the start of August. Even Kyle Tucker has shown a pulse, albeit faintly, lately.

The emergence of rookie slugger Josue De Paula must fill the rest of the NL with a certain amount of dread. And we'll see what Freddie Freeman has left in the tank for his old team. Roberts hasn't been nearly as effusive in his optimism there.

The Dodgers still possess an offense that can cover the loss of a superstar slugger in a short series. Like, say, the New York Yankees just did against the Boston Red Sox.

They might not even have to, if Roberts is being on the up-and-up about Shohei feeling better. If he's right, the Braves need to brace for something special, because Ohtani is overdue to deliver it.