LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani was activated off the injured list Wednesday, as expected, and batted second against opposing left-hander Robbie Ray, part of a leadoff platoon the Los Angeles Dodgers are experimenting with now that Mookie Betts is surging offensively. With Ohtani back, the Dodgers sent their top prospect, Josue De Paula, down to Triple-A, where he can get at-bats for a team currently playing in a championship series.
De Paula, 21, was called up when Ohtani landed on the IL to get some runway against major league pitching at designated hitter. He performed admirably, accumulating 11 walks and 10 hits -- five of them for extra bases -- in 42 plate appearances. He remains in competition with Dalton Rushing for a postseason role as a left-handed hitter off the bench.
"He's earned that," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, "and that's what I told him last night."
Wednesday, the middle part of a three-game series against the division-rival San Diego Padres, marked the first time this year that Betts has batted leadoff and Ohtani has hit second. It's a function of Betts batting .366/.464/.732 in September and Ohtani accumulating seven hits and 22 strikeouts in 54 at-bats before finally going on the IL.
The Dodgers are non-committal about whether they'll maintain this alignment against lefties -- while keeping Ohtani as their leadoff hitter against righties -- in October.
A lot of that could hinge on how Ohtani looks over these last five regular-season games.
Ohtani, 32, has been dealing with discomfort in his left knee, which manifested from pitching, and irritation in his right biceps. Other, smaller ailments undoubtedly cropped up as he navigated his first full time two-way season in three years. Ohtani has not pitched in a game since July 3 and won't do so in October. The Dodgers' only hope is he can be pain free -- or as close as one can be this time of year -- offensively.
"I think there's no question it affected him," Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said, "and I think the fact that he feels as good as he does right now is certainly encouraging. Now it's about making sure that holds."
Ohtani began his hitting progression about a week ago and has spent the last handful of days taking swings off Trajekt, the popular pitching simulator. But he has not faced a real-life pitcher in a game setting since Sept. 7.
Before then, the Dodgers continually opted against placing Ohtani on the IL to rest a body that had clearly become worn down throughout the summer. Ohtani was noticeably uncomfortable on his final swing on the night of Sept. 2, but the Dodgers instead opted for a day off. Ohtani wound up missing four straight games, came back on Labor Day, didn't feel right, then finally landed on the IL. If not for attempting to play in that Sept. 7 game, Ohtani would have been eligible to return five days earlier, giving him more time to prepare for the postseason.
Friedman defended the team's process on Wednesday. Ohtani, Friedman said, has always been willing to do what the team asks of him, but he hasn't been great at reporting his ailments. Others, particularly Freddie Freeman and Clayton Kershaw, are similar. Friedman acknowledged that more transparency will be important going forward, especially for Ohtani, who plans to continue being a two-way player in 2027 and beyond. But he doesn't believe there was a breakdown in communication.
"We certainly had a lot of communication with him throughout the year and worked together really well in terms of how to go about this," Friedman said. "And I think in his mind, he just thought that what he was dealing with was more minor, because it wasn't like he would see a doctor and go, 'Oh my God, you have this ailment.' There was just a number of different things that were bothering him. And I think in his mind, he thought the best way to help the team was to go out and play, which I respect."
His best way to help the team now is to prove he's healthy.
The Dodgers have had some encouraging developments of late. High-priced closer Edwin Diaz has looked sharp since returning to the team. The likes of Betts, Teoscar Hernandez and Kyle Tucker have turned it around offensively. Blake Snell, who exited his last start early with a groin injury, reported feeling good after Tuesday's bullpen session and is expected to take the mound for his final regular-season start on Saturday.
With the playoffs approaching, the Dodgers seem to be trending in the right direction.
But nothing is more important than Ohtani being healthy.
"He's getting ready for the postseason," Roberts said. "His mind should be there, and my bet is that that's where it's at."
