Shohei Ohtani reached the Dodgers’ bye week with the most important part of his return checked off: he is healthy enough to keep building toward Saturday’s National League Division Series opener at Dodger Stadium.
| Ohtani’s final five regular-season games | Figure |
|---|---|
| Hits / at-bats | 5 / 21 |
| Batting average | .238 |
| Extra-base hits | 1 |
| Strikeouts / walks | 8 / 1 |
Los Angeles activated Ohtani last week after the minimum 15-day injured-list absence for lingering trouble in his right biceps and left knee. The club’s aim over the season’s closing five games was not to demand a full offensive recovery overnight. It was to get its leadoff star through the stretch without another physical setback.
He did that, and the Dodgers now have five full days between Game 162 and the start of the Division Series. General manager Brandon Gomes said Ohtani’s body feels good and his swings were generally where the club wanted them after his return. The coming days, Gomes said, give him a chance to keep taking repetitions and carry that improved condition into October.
Dodgers want a sharper Ohtani for Game 1
Manager Dave Roberts plans for Ohtani to take roughly five to seven live plate appearances this week, along with work against the Trajekt pitching machine. The system is designed to replicate the look and release of opposing pitchers, allowing hitters to get game-like reads in a controlled setting.
Roberts saw encouraging signs beyond Ohtani’s modest numbers during those five games. The manager felt the quality of the at-bats was better than the brief stat line might indicate, and he expects the extra rest to help.
“I expect the best version of Shohei that we have seen over the past two months,” Roberts said, while acknowledging that his recent injury stretch lowered the baseline. He added that Ohtani has been improving daily with the training staff and should be both healthier and more dangerous in the lineup.
| Ohtani’s 2026 regular season | Figure |
|---|---|
| Batting average | .275 |
| OPS | .889 |
| Home runs | 30 |
| Team home-run rank | 1st |
The concern was plain before the injured-list move. Across the 24 games leading into it, Ohtani batted .198 and struck out 34 times in 109 plate appearances. That period also overlapped with his effort to build back up as a pitcher.
Earlier in the year, he had been firmly in the MVP conversation. The combination of injury and slump pulled him out of that race, though he still finished as the Dodgers’ home-run leader with 30 while posting an .889 OPS.
Health remains the October hinge
Roberts’ belief is straightforward: Ohtani had done what he could while playing through physical limitations, and a less compromised version of the hitter gives Los Angeles a better chance to open its postseason run with force.
“For me, it comes back to his health,” Roberts said. “He managed as well as he could while not being fully right. Now he should be feeling about as good as he has in a while.”
The Dodgers will open the NLDS on Saturday. If Milwaukee faces the Cubs, first pitch is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET, or 6 p.m. PT. If the Brewers draw San Diego, the Dodgers’ game shifts to 4 p.m. ET, or 1 p.m. PT. Either way, Ohtani’s recovery week has given the club a reason to expect its top-of-the-order threat to arrive in better shape than he was when the regular season ended.
