Dodgers News: Shohei Ohtani update, playoff clinch history, roster moves aplenty

The Los Angeles Dodgers are a week removed from the start of Shohei Ohtani's IL stint. During that time, they've gone 3-2 and clinched a postseason berth. They're slowly but surely pulling away from the Atlanta Braves on their way to a first-round bye. While LA surely misses their star slugger, they've been doing just fine without him.

Dave Roberts told reporters on Monday that Ohtani would start hitting off a tee on Tuesday as the first step in his hitting progression. They're still aiming to get him back after the 15 day minimum.

But what version of Ohtani will fans see in October? He spent a part of the 2024 postseason injured, but bounced back to stage some of the greatest individual postseason performances of all time in the 2025 NLCS and World Series.

That probably won't be the version we see in 2026, but the Dodgers must still be hopeful that he's got a couple good swings in him. His presence alone should frighten opposing pitchers, and Dodgers fans know better than anyone that you can never count him out completely.

Dodgers News: Postseason berth streak matches 1990s Braves

The Dodgers clinched a postseason berth with their 4-1 win over the Cincinnati Reds on Monday night. Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández stayed hot and hit their 15th and 14th home runs of the season, respectively. Tarik Skubal pitched his best start for the Dodgers thus far: seven innings, three hits, no runs, one walk, and nine strikeouts.

It's LA's 14th consecutive postseason berth, tying the 1991-2005 Braves for the longest in baseball history (the 1994 postseason was, of course, canceled due to the players strike). Those Braves teams were legendary in their own right, but they only managed to win the World Series once in 1995. The Dodgers have done it three times since 2013.

Dodgers News: Bullpen shuffled as Edgardo Henriquez goes onto IL

The Dodgers made a pair of roster moves on Monday. Emmet Sheehan was optioned and Paul Gervase was recalled; Edgardo Henriquez went onto the IL with lower back discomfort and Bobby Miller was recalled. Kris Bubic is also set to join the team for his Dodgers debut after a long IL stint following their trade with the Kansas City Royals.

The motivation for the Sheehan-Gervase swap was simply to get a fresh arm in the bullpen, Roberts said, but Henriquez's injury came out of nowhere and might put LA's bullpen in an even more comprised position going into the postseason.

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