Possibility has been raised that Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani may be left out of the starting lineup.

MLB.com reported that the Dodgers are considering dropping Ohtani from the starting lineup for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS).

Ohtani, a four-time Major League MVP, was a primary contributor to the Dodgers winning back-to-back World Series titles over the past two years, but has struggled with frequent injuries this year and fallen into a slump recently.

Having gone on the injured list (IL) on September 12 due to pain in his right biceps and left knee, Ohtani returned to play just five games before entering the postseason.

Ohtani, who has not hit a home run since August 19, has continued to struggle in the postseason as well.

Managed to get just 1 hit in 7 at-bats across two NLCS games against the Milwaukee Brewers, Ohtani is batting .150 with 3 hits in 20 at-bats over 6 postseason games this fall, including the Wild Card Series.

He has failed to produce a single home run or RBI.

Having served as the fixed leadoff hitter since transferring to the Dodgers in 2024, Ohtani yielded the leadoff role to Mookie Betts this postseason and moved down to the cleanup and fifth batting spots.


Even so, with no signs of his bat coming alive, the Dodgers are even considering dropping Ohtani entirely for Game 3 of the NLCS.

The hitter the Dodgers are considering as a designated hitter in place of Ohtani is rookie Josue De Paula.

Called up in September to replace Ohtani who went on the IL, Paula recorded a batting average of .323 with 10 hits in 31 at-bats, 1 home run, and 7 RBIs across 11 regular-season games.

Drawing 11 walks as well, he recorded an on-base percentage of .500, a slugging percentage of .581, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.081.

In this postseason, he has made just 3 plate appearances, recording 0 hits in 1 at-bat with 2 walks.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)