Major League Baseball (MLB) club Los Angeles Dodgers have reaffirmed their trust in star player Shohei Ohtani (32).

Dodgers Manager Dave Roberts officially announced on the 14th (Korean time), "Ohtani will play in Game 3 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS)."

Previously, local media outlets including MLB.com and ESPN, as well as major foreign news outlets, reported en masse that the Dodgers were considering leaving the struggling Ohtani off the starting lineup.

However, Manager Roberts kept his faith, stating, "Ohtani, a four-time Most Valuable Player (MVP), is in a condition where he has no problem playing the game."


Ohtani was a top contributor to the Dodgers' consecutive World Series titles for two straight years, but this year he has suffered from frequent injuries and fallen into a recent slump.

Having been placed on the injured list (IL) on September 12 due to pain in his right biceps and left knee, Ohtani played only five games after returning before entering the fall postseason.

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

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

He has not picked up a single home run or RBI.

After moving to the Dodgers in 2024, Ohtani served as the fixed leadoff hitter, but in this postseason he handed over the vanguard role to Mookie Betts and dropped down to the cleanup 4th and 5th batting orders.

Even still, with no sign of his hitting coming alive, there were even projections that rookie hitter Josue De Paula (21) would start instead of Ohtani in NLCS Game 3.

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

He also drew 11 walks, recording a .500 on-base percentage, a .581 slugging percentage, and an OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.081.

In this postseason, he has made only 3 plate appearances, recording no hits in 1 at-bat with 2 walks.

However, after much deliberation, the Dodgers made the decision to continue playing Ohtani.

Attention is focused on whether Ohtani can rescue the Dodgers, who are driven to the brink of elimination after losing Games 1 and 2 of the NLCS.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)