Dave Roberts breaks silence on Shohei Ohtani struggles as concerns mount

The Los Angeles Dodgers have come back down to earth after an early run as the best team in baseball. The Dodgers have entered a lull, losing three consecutive games and six of their last 10. Given those struggles also include an offense that has gone cold, it's forcing Dave Roberts to say the quiet part out loud when it comes to Shohei Ohtani's 2026 season.

As a starting pitcher, Ohtani has been excellent. Through six starts this season, he has a 0.97 ERA and has struck out 29% of the hitters he's faced. The problem is that as Ohtani has returned to being a full-time two-way player this season, there's been a clear offensive regression.

Ohtani sits with a wRC+ of 114 through his first 180 plate appearances this season with a slash line of .233/.363/.404. His offensive numbers are down across the board. One may glance at those numbers and think that talking about Ohtani's struggles is a level of catastrophizing. A 114 wRC+ is still considered above-average, and if the Dodgers' offense had been finding success collectively, Ohtani's dips likely wouldn't be a primary topic of conversation.

Some of that is certainly true, but as the calendar has flipped to May, Ohtani's offensive struggles have reached the point where they can't be ignored. In 41 plate appearances this month, Ohtani has a slash line of .111/.220/.139 with a wRC+ of 10.

Suddenly, it's become something that Roberts can't immediately discard. Roberts is going back to the drawing board in an effort to get Ohtani out of the offensive funk he is in, and that's going to include the reigning National League MVP being taken out of the starting lineup on Wednesday or Thursday.

Back to the drawing board for...Shohei Ohtani?

The Dodgers have already utilized a plan where Ohtani has been taken out of the starting lineup when he's pitching, so the latest from Roberts isn't earth-shattering news. But the acknowledgement that Ohtani's swing looks off needed to be said.

If anything, it's a reminder that Ohtani is human. The Dodgers obviously need Ohtani to be Ohtani, but this is the part of the schedule where they can be proactive about his struggles. Rather than letting him work his way out of the slump, there should be some benefit to getting him off his feet with the hope that it sparks a turnaround.

The assumption is that the turnaround is coming because, well, it always has for Ohtani and the Dodgers.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Follow