Shohei Ohtani's Offensive Slump Aligns With Start Of Throwing Program

The Los Angeles Dodgers are watching Shohei Ohtani go through a terrible offensive slump, and it started when he started his throwing program, trying to return to the rotation.

Ohtani has not pitched since July 3, dealing with a knee injury and a right biceps issue, which he claims was a result of overcompensating for the knee. However, he started a throwing program on Aug. 8, hoping to get ready and be built up to start in the postseason.

Since Aug. 8, he is hitting .204 with a .704 OPS. His 32 strikeouts give him a 30.4% strikeout rate in that span, which is higher than his career average.

Before Aug. 8, Ohtani was .294 with a .944 OPS in his previous 28 games. He has gone from the MVP favorite to a long shot behind Pete Crow-Armstrong of the Chicago Cubs.

Ohtani struck out four times in six plate appearances on Wednesday night, marking his first four-strikeout game of the season. He was not in the Dodgers lineup on Thursday and reportedly told trainers he was feeling discomfort in his right biceps and neck on Wednesday,

There is not really enough time to shut him down and get him healthy. Even if they rest him, it may not really be enough time for him to get right. However, they could shut him down from pitching to try to help with his health.

Ohtani had gone at least six innings in all but one of his starts and had a 1.79 ERA in 14 starts. Losing him in the rotation is a huge blow, but the Dodgers are in a unique position.

For starters, they have Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell and Tyler Glasnow to serve as a postseason rotation if Ohtani is out. That's still an elite group.

Second, the Dodgers cannot really send Ohtani on a rehab assignment, and at this point, there may not even be enough time to build Ohtani back up as a starter. Is it really worth putting his offense at risk to get him on the mound?

The reality is, the Dodgers need him dominating at the plate more than they do on the mound. It would be wise for the Dodgers to shut him down from pitching and give him some extra off days in preparation for October.