Something still feels off.
The Dodgers never said it outright, but their lineup offered a clear clue.
When Shohei Ohtani returned from the 15-day injured list, Los Angeles placed him in the No. 2 spot.
That was no reflection on Mookie Betts, who moved into the leadoff role. The eight-time All-Star is batting .317 over his past 42 games. But Ohtani is Ohtani.
When healthy—or even nearly healthy—Ohtani is baseball’s most dynamic player. If the Dodgers truly believed he was ready to be that force in the postseason, they likely would have restored him to his familiar place atop the order, regardless of how Betts or anyone else was performing, and without concern over the opposing pitcher’s handedness.
The Dodgers presumably knew more about the condition of Ohtani’s right arm and left knee than they were willing to reveal publicly.
That is why Ohtani’s encouraging performance Wednesday deserves some perspective.
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There was no question he looked sharper in the Dodgers’ 5-1 loss to the San Diego Padres than he had in his previous appearance.
Still, that performance did not prove Ohtani was back to his old form—or that he will reach it at any point during the playoffs.
The return of an MVP can alter a team’s outlook, particularly when that player is as healthy as the Dodgers said Ohtani was after more than two weeks of rest. Yet president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman and manager Dave Roberts both tried to keep expectations in check before the game.
Asked what version of Ohtani the Dodgers should expect, Friedman said, “I mean, these aren’t things there’s a clear answer to.”
Roberts said he was looking for Ohtani to be “controlled, taking good at-bats.”
By that measure, Ohtani’s first game back was an emphatic success.
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In the opening inning, he singled against left-hander Robbie Ray on a low pitch that his injured knee might not have allowed him to reach just two or three weeks earlier.
Later, Ohtani sent a 99-mph fastball to the warning track, drawing an excited call from Dodgers broadcaster Joe Davis: “That is a majestic fly ball!”
“I think if you look back at the last couple weeks when he was active, he wasn’t getting to that pitch,” Roberts said of the elevated four-seam fastball thrown by right-hander Bradgley Rodriguez.
For the most part, Ohtani avoided chasing pitches beyond the strike zone. He reached two-ball counts in each of his first four plate appearances and worked a walk in the third inning.
The Dodgers would gladly accept more games like this from Ohtani. Whether or not he was capable of doing everything he once did, the Padres still treated him as a major threat—and that presence alone carried value in the lineup.
Ohtani has admitted that returning to 100% health this season was unlikely. To preserve the danger he brings to opposing teams, however, he must avoid slipping back to the physical limitations that preceded his injured-list stint.
“Shohei says he feels back to where he was earlier in the year, which is great, which is a good start,” Friedman said. “Now, it’s one thing to feel that way for any player coming back from the IL. When you’re coming back, now the question is, as you start to load on real games and that intensity and that workload, it’s making sure that what we’re done keeps guys in position to be at their best.”
Or, in this case, to at least be viewed as a threat.
Roberts previously described Ohtani as “pain-free” but acknowledged he was still dealing with “discomfort you can play through.” The Dodgers have already seen what happens when Ohtani plays too many games with his arm and knee problems, and every game he plays theoretically pushes him closer to the stage at which the pain becomes unbearable.
How close is Ohtani to that point?
Was the usually-aggressive Ohtani as patient as he was in the batter’s box because he wanted to protect his arm by limiting his swings?
Did his warning-track drive not clear the outfield wall because he hit the ball with the end of his bat or because he wasn’t at full strength?
What should be made of the two at-bats in which he struck out? With the bases loaded, two outs and the count full in the fourth inning, Ohtani was late on a 98.5-mph sinker by David Morgan. In the ninth, Ohtani looked as if he had no chance against closer Mason Miller, who struck him out on three pitches.
Ohtani wasn’t made available to answer any of these questions. By the time the clubhouse opened to reporters, Ohtani was gone.