Shohei Ohtani’s revitalized strength is exactly what Dodgers needed to see before October

For weeks, Los Angeles Dodgers fans were forced to watch Shohei Ohtani look like a lesser version of himself, and it concerned them. It's sort of an unnerving experience to watch the best player of all time look average, even when it's due to injury.

Late swings, grimaces, and weak contact were all obvious signs that Ohtani was still hurting. And after much wasted time spent denying the inevitable, the Dodgers placed Ohtani on the Injured List.

But Ohtani's respite didn't last long. He was reinstated on September 23, and two games into his return, he's already looking healthier. You can literally feel Dodgers Nation exhaling deeply.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani is swinging the bat with more strength since returning from IL

In two games against the San Diego Padres at Dodger Stadium, Ohtani has gone 3-for-9 with a double and an RBI (his first since August 18, believe it or not). It's the underlying swing metrics, though, that really stand out and reveal that Ohtani is swinging with more force.

Ohtani's exit velocity is up, averaging 101.9 mph in Thursday's loss. His swing instincts are locked in again, too. He had no problem catching up with a 102 mph fastball from Mason Miller on Thursday and smacking a double.

Ohtani's driving the ball more consistently, even when making outs. Earlier in Thursday's game, he hit a 382-foot flyout. The day prior, he struck a ball out to the warning track in center field. He's starting to look like Ohtani again.

With the increased strength and quickness in his hands returning, Ohtani has also seemingly regained his confidence and plate discipline. He's suddenly not chasing as many sliders like he was during his awful stretch. Compromised by injuries then; Ohtani was compensating (both physically and mentally). That's no way to compete against MLB pitching, especially not in the postseason, which is days away.

That's why Dodgers fans have to feel so pleased that Ohtani appears to be rounding back into form as October approaches. Two games isn't a big enough sample size for anyone to say that Ohtani is officially back in MVP mode or anything, but he's certainly trending in the right direction. Now that he's going to focus solely on hitting, it wouldn't be surprising to see him improve at the plate with each game that passes. This is great news for LA and bad news for the rest of MLB.

Once the playoffs begin, Ohtani's struggles earlier in the year don't matter one bit. As long as he can look closer to himself at the plate and strike fear in the hearts of opposing teams, the Dodgers' lineup will be all the more productive because of it.

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