Shohei Ohtani Not in the Dodgers’ lineup on Wednesday, here’s why.
Shohei Ohtani will miss his first game this season. The Los Angeles Dodgers will rest their $700 million designated hitter on Wednesday against the Arizona Diamondbacks. According to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts stated that Ohtani’s day off is routine.
The Dodgers are coming off a 4-3 loss to the Diamondbacks on Tuesday, when the game was delayed for two hours due to bees swarming the net behind home plate. The delay extended the game until late Tuesday night, and Ohtani will now miss the next game.
Ohtani, along with teammates Freddie Freeman, Teoscar Hernández, and Mookie Betts, had participated in every game this season prior to Wednesday’s off day. With Ohtani out, Freeman will bat second, catcher Will Smith will bat third and serve as designated hitter, and Hernández will hit fourth. Catcher Austin Barnes will return to the lineup for the first time this series.
The Dodgers will have to go without one of their greatest hitters against the Diamondbacks. Ohtani has hit.336/.399/.618 this season, with seven home runs and 19 RBIs. In his first season with the Dodgers, Ohtani ranks in the top ten in batting average and home runs.
While there is no replacing Ohtani, the Dodgers should be able to win without him. Los Angeles is 19-13 this season and has lots of other excellent stars, including Freeman, Betts, and Smith, among others.
With the Dodgers off on Thursday, Ohtani is anticipated to return to the lineup on Friday, when the Dodgers host the Atlanta Braves at Dodger Stadium. The 20-9 Braves have been one of MLB’s top teams in recent years, and the Dodgers will need Ohtani to be ready to face one of their biggest National League opponents.
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