Shohei Ohtani’s slump at the plate raises alarm for Dodgers in NLDS

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ bid for another championship is running headlong into an unexpected problem: Shohei Ohtani’s bat. After dropping Game 2 of the NLDS to the Atlanta Braves, the series is even at one win apiece and effectively reduced to a best-of-three, with Atlanta now enjoying home-field advantage.

Injuries derail Ohtani’s second half and offensive impact

Ohtani’s current situation is tightly linked to the physical issues that surfaced in midsummer. He has not taken the mound since July 3, when he exited a start against the San Diego Padres with discomfort in his left knee and soreness in his right biceps. Those ailments cost him an All-Star appearance and are expected to keep him from pitching during the postseason.

The Dodgers can absorb that on the pitching side thanks to their rotation depth, but the offensive fallout is harder to ignore. Knee inflammation sent Ohtani to the injured list in September, and although he returned for the final five games of the regular season, his production lagged. Over that stretch he went 5-for-21 with only one extra-base hit, a double, along with eight strikeouts and one walk.

Zooming out to the full month, he hit just .200/.333/.233, and his overall OPS plunged from .953 in the first half of 2026 to .772 in the second half. Under-the-hood contact metrics also declined, and he has not left the yard since August 18 at Coors Field, a drought that now spans 20 games and 80 at-bats including the current series.

Slow NLDS start and Roberts’ diagnosis at the plate

Ohtani’s early postseason line has done little to calm nerves in Los Angeles. Through the first two games against Atlanta he is 2-for-8 with no extra-base hits or walks and two strikeouts. On its own, that tiny sample would not normally cause alarm, but it sits atop weeks of diminished production and ongoing knee trouble.

Manager Dave Roberts has observed more chasing of pitches outside the strike zone, making it difficult for Ohtani to square up quality swings. Roberts stopped short of directly tying the slump to Ohtani’s knee or biceps, saying he has been told the star feels well enough to play. He acknowledged that no one is fully healthy this time of year, and summed up his view by saying Ohtani is “doing the best he can.”

Game 3 vs. Chris Sale looms as key test for Dodgers’ offense

The challenge only intensifies in Game 3, scheduled for Tuesday. After Braves manager Walt Weiss successfully leaned on a bullpen game in Game 2, Atlanta can now send Chris Sale to the mound on full rest. The 37-year-old left-hander remains dominant, brings the platoon edge against Ohtani and other left-handed Dodgers, and, as Roberts noted, works with high-octane pitches that often move from strike to ball.

For a hitter searching for timing and perhaps lacking a fully stable base in the batter’s box, facing Sale is hardly a get-right opportunity. Ohtani is still the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter and offensive fulcrum, and his track record over nearly a decade makes it risky to count him out. Yet Los Angeles’ pursuit of a three-peat looks far more precarious if this version of Ohtani continues to show up at the plate in what may be the defining stretch of their dynasty push.