The Los Angeles Dodgers may have figured out the perfect solution to their overcrowded starting rotation.
Shohei Ohtani, who has been on a five-inning cap over his past three starts, may end up coming out of relief in the playoffs, according to Dodgers manager Dave Roberts.
The Dodgers entered play Wednesday with the third-best record in the National League (84-67) and with a 99.9 percent chance of making the playoffs, per Baseball Reference.
Roberts spoke about Ohtani’s potential move before their series finale against the Philadelphia Phillies on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium.
Why Could Shohei Ohtani Move To The Bullpen?
The Dodgers have a star-studded starting rotation, keyed by former Cy Young Award winners Blake Snell and Clayton Kersahaw, plus Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow and staff ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto.
So even though Glasnow, who at 6-8 features a 100-plus-mph fastball and a devastating arsenal of secondary pitches, seems like a better fit out of the pen, Ohtani could also be used as a jack-of-all-trades reliever who can empty the tank with his own 100-plus fastball and impressive array of off-speed pitches.
Roberts said he and the Dodgers front office intend to discuss that.
“I know that we are going to be talking about it,” Roberts said.
The Dodgers bullpen could use at least one of their starters to go out there, given their recent struggles. LA ranks 27th in bullpen ERA (5.88) since Sept. 1, and it has just five saves vs 12 losses as a group since Aug. 2 — Blake Treinen himself has four losses in five appearances since Sept. 6.
“There’s a lot of variables,” Roberts added, “but to know that he can potentially run out there, it’s great. Maybe just in theory. But, again, I love him for even throwing that out there.”
What Are The Drawbacks To Shohei Ohtani Pitching Out Of The Bullpen?
Pitchers are often asked to do things they haven’t done before in October. Kershaw has pitched out of relief in the postseason, and Dodgers fans surely remember Walker Buehler capping their World Series championship by pitching a scoreless ninth inning in Game 5 of last year’s Fall Classic.
Yet, the Dodgers will also have to take into consideration the fact Ohtani has never pitched out of relief in his eight major-league seasons. Plus, he would have to juggle hitting — he bats leadoff for the Dodgers — against potentially warming up to come out of the bullpen.
Throw in Ohtani’s regimented routine, plus added angst of him still building back up from his 2023 Tommy John surgery, and the bullpen seems like a dicey proposition to Roberts.
“He’s a very methodical, disciplined, routine-driven person,” Roberts said. “The pen is the complete opposite, right? You potentially could be taking on risk, and we’ve come this far, certainly with the kid gloves and managing.”
Roberts’ point is valid, since the Dodgers wouldn’t even extend Ohtani past the fifth inning while he was throwing a no-hitter in their loss to the Phillies on Tuesday. But putting him in the LA rotation would also force him to throw on shorter rest than he’s used to, which means his pitching routine will be off anyway.
Plus, the threat of re-injury is clearly in the front of Roberts’ mind, since as he said Tuesday “he’s two players in one.”
“I think the one thing you can say is that we use him once every seven days, eight days, nine days — [11] days in between his last start,” Roberts said. “So to think that now it’s feasible for a guy that’s just coming off what he’s done last year, or didn’t do last year, to then now put him in a role that’s very, very unique.”
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