The Los Angeles Dodgers made an intriguing decision on Shohei Ohtani ahead of his return to the rotation on Wednesday.
Ohtani is set to serve as the starting pitcher, and when he is the starter, he also serves as the designated hitter. However, the Dodgers announced their lineup, and Dalton Rushing is serving as the DH as Ohtani is only pitching. Los Angeles’ batting order is as follows:
Tucker RF
Freeman 1B
Smith C
T. Hernández LF
Muncy 3B
Pages CF
Rushing DH
Kim SS
Freeland 2B
The MLB has a rule for Ohtani that allows him to pitch and hit in the same game, but the Dodgers are only using him as a pitcher in Wednesday’s start against the Mets. It will be the first time since May 28, 2021, that Ohtani has not hit during a pitching start.
Ohtani was hit by a pitch by David Peterson earlier in the series, and whether or not that is why he won’t bat in the series finale is uncertain. But the Dodgers will only be using Ohtani as a starter on Wednesday, as he looks to build off his impressive start.
Ohtani is 1-0 with a 0.00 ERA in 2 starts this season, as he’s gone 12 scoreless innings this season.
Dodgers Didn’t Expect HBP to Impact Ohtani
Ohtani was hit by a pitch by Peterson in the series opener, and it was a concern for many Dodgers fans.
However, after the game, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t think it would hinder Ohtani from starting on Wednesday.
“No, no. I’m happy he’s not pitching (Tuesday),” Roberts said. “Probably a bruise, but I don’t think it’s going to impact his start.”
Meanwhile, Roberts also hinted at the Dodgers potentially dropping Ohtani down in the lineup when he pitches to give him more time to get ready at the plate.
“I’m more of a slow mover, as you probably know,” Roberts recently said. “So I would probably wait a little bit and see how it takes. I don’t like to just flip-flop back and forth. To that question, I’ll give it a handful of starts and see where we’re at.”
Not only did Roberts just not drop Ohtani from the lineup when he starts, but the slugger won’t even be hitting.
Fans React to Ohtani Not Being in Lineup
After the Dodgers announced their lineup, which didn’t feature Ohtani, many fans were confused by it.
“no ohtani hitting??,” a fan wrote.
“I blame that bum David Peterson for that HPB,” a fan added.
“Won’t be in lineup is crazy,” a fan wrote.
With Ohtani not hitting, many Dodgers fans are expecting him to continue his dominance on the mound.
“he about to go crazy,” a fan added.
“Masterclass on the bump incoming,” a fan wrote.
“Woah, first outing on the hill without hitting. Wonder if it’s because of his “taking too much time” in between innings and complaints from other teams had something to do with it,” a fan added.
At the plate, Ohtani is hitting .254 with 5 home runs and 10 RBIs this season with the Dodgers.
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