The Los Angeles Dodgers are gearing up for the playoffs, just like every other team destined for October. One potential plan for the Dodgers involves Shohei Ohtani shifting to the bullpen for the postseason.
“I know that we are going to be talking about it," manager Dave Roberts said. "I think the one thing you can say, though, is that we use him once every seven days, eight days, nine days -- [11] days in between his last start -- 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 -- because he's a very methodical, disciplined, routine-driven person. 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."
There’s just one problem with this idea: it would take away Ohtani’s bat.
“The Dodgers are toying with the idea of using Shohei Ohtani in relief during the postseason, but if they do, he would vacate his spot in the lineup when his turn came up to hit. If he’s a starter, he’s permitted to stay in the game as a DH after he’s done pitching,” USA Today’s Bob Nightengale wrote.
Despite the complication, Ohtani has shown he's open to doing something he hasn’t done since 2021.
“Shohei Ohtani told Japanese media tonight that he's been having internal conversations with the organization about possibly playing the outfield in order to be used in relief,” Michael J. Duarte reported.
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If this happens, it would be a huge shift for the Dodgers. Not only would Ohtani take on a bullpen role he’s never had before, but he also hasn’t played the outfield in four years.
The Dodgers understand how special Ohtani is, but this might be asking too much. He hasn’t had recent practice time at either position, so it will be fascinating to see how this plays out down the stretch.