Dodgers Stick With Injured Shohei Ohtani in NLCS — A Tactical Vote of Confidence That Carries Risk

There are three practical reasons the Dodgers stuck with Ohtani. First, roster and personnel realities: the Dodgers don't have an obvious right-handed, high-leverage replacement who provides the same combination of power and threat as a true middle-of-the-order bat. Second, Ohtani himself has agency — he insisted he felt able to contribute — and managers rarely force a star into the bench during a short, high-stakes series. Third, optics and clubhouse stability matter in October; publicly removing a face-of-the-franchise player can fracture chemistry and draw outsized scrutiny.

Moreover, the Dodgers attempted a compromise: move Ohtani down in the order rather than sit him. That preserves his bat while reducing the likelihood he faces the top of an opponent’s bullpen in crucial moments. It’s a halfway strategy designed to preserve upside without fully sacrificing bench flexibility.

The flip side is stark. Ohtani’s slump has been longstanding, and his postseason line (few hits through the early NLCS games) suggests the injuries may be materially affecting performance. If those at-bats remain fruitless, the Dodgers wind up losing both production and in-game maneuverability: a manager who leaves a struggling star in the game has fewer pinch-hit or matchup options later, and the bench becomes a safety valve when the opposing manager exploits matchups.

The stakes increase as the series progressed. Roberts’ Game 3 decision came with L.A. down 0–2; by the Game 4 preview the Brewers had stretched the lead to 3–0. The margin for error shrinks with each loss, making the calculus of whether to tolerate short-term sacrifice for potential offensive upside more fraught.

Short-term: track Ohtani’s plate appearances and whether the Dodgers use him as a one-inning DH who is replaced late, or allow him to absorb full-game exposure. Watch how often Roberts turns to his bench in late innings and whether the Dodger relievers are being used to shorten innings to mask offensive holes.

Medium-term: look for any reported change in Ohtani’s role — rest, partial games, or a shift to a more limited DH-only duty in future contests — and for any official medical updates clarifying how symptoms are affecting his swing.

Long-term: the decision illuminates an emerging dilemma for modern clubs: balancing the intangible value of superstar presence against the cold arithmetic of matchups and matchup-driven substitutions. How teams manage that balance will be a storyline well after this series concludes.