MLB Dodgers consider excluding slumping Ohtani... The alternative is rookie Fowler.

(Seoul = Yonhap News) Reporter Cheon Byeong-hyuk = There has been a possibility that Shohei Ohtani (32), the leading star of the Major League Baseball (MLB) Los Angeles Dodgers, will be excluded from the game.

MLB.com reported on the 14th (Korean time) that the Dodgers are considering removing Ohtani from the starting list for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS).

Ohtani, who was selected as the Major League MVP four times, was a major contributor to the Dodgers winning the World Series for the last two years in a row.

However, this year, he suffered from frequent injuries and recently fell into a slump.

Ohtani, who was placed on the injured list (IL) on September 12 due to pain in his right biceps and left knee, entered the fall baseball season after playing only five games after returning.

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

Ohtani, who had just 1 hit in 7 at-bats in two NLCS games against the Milwaukee Brewers, has a batting average of 0.150 with 3 hits in 20 at-bats in six baseball games this fall, including the Wild Card Series.

He failed to hit a single home run or RBI.

Ohtani, who had been the regular No. 1 hitter since moving to the Dodgers in 2024, gave up his role as the spearhead to Mookie Betts in this postseason and moved down to the 4th and 5th batting order.

However, as the batting showed no signs of recovery, the Dodgers even considered leaving Ohtani out of Game 3 of the NLCS.

The batter the Dodgers are considering as a designated hitter instead of Ohtani is rookie Hosae de Fowler (21).

Fowler, who was called up last September to replace Ohtani, who was placed on the IL, recorded a batting average of 0.323, 1 home run, and 7 RBIs with 10 hits in 31 at-bats in 11 regular season games.

He walked 11 times and recorded an OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage) of 1.081 with an on-base percentage of 0.500 and a slugging percentage of 0.581.

This postseason, he appeared in only three at-bats, going 0-for-1 and walking two.

Attention is focused on what decision the Dodgers, who are on the verge of elimination after losing the first and second games of the NLCS, will make.