Shohei Ohtani's performance and health concerns loom over Dodgers' NLDS series

The Los Angeles Dodgers have some concerns as they vie for the elusive threepeat. Their loss in Game 2 of the NLDS to the Braves means the series is now tied 1-1, which in turn means the series is now in essence a best-of-three with the Braves having home field advantage.

A very much related concern is the current status of two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani. Ohtani hasn't pitched since July 3, when he was pulled from his start against the Padres because of left knee discomfort and soreness in his right biceps. Those injuries kept him out of the All-Star Game and, presumably, won't allow him to pitch in the postseason.

The Dodgers have the rotation depth and frontline excellence to withstand the loss of Ohtani the pitcher, but what about Ohtani the hitter? His presence is invaluable in an L.A. lineup that's aging in some spots. Ohtani's knee inflammation landed him on the injured list in September, but he returned in time to play the final five games of the regular season. He went 5 for 21 in those games with only one extra-base hit, a double, and eight strikeouts against one walk. Taking the longer view, Ohtani in all of September batted just .200/.333/.233, and overall his OPS at the plate dropped from .953 in the first half of 2026 to .772 in the second half. He also saw a decline in underlying batted-ball authority from the first half to the second. He hasn't homered since Aug. 18 in Coors Field. Counting the current Braves series, that's a stretch of 20 games and 80 at-bats without a home run for Ohtani.

Speaking of the postseason, through the first two games of the Braves series, Ohtani is 2 for 8 with no extra-base hits or walks and a pair of strikeouts. Normally, such a minuscule sample wouldn't register, but against the much larger backdrop of Ohtani's poor production and the parallel matter of his ongoing case of knee inflammation, it's all a major concern for the Dodgers.

"I think with Shohei, it's just -- I think, if you look at the at-bats, there's a lot of chase," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said after Sunday's 3-2 loss to Atlanta. "I think that it's like -- it's hard to square up, put good swings on balls that are out of the zone. That's kind of what it boils down to.

"Certainly (Chris) Sale is going to be tough because there's a lot of strike to ball, it's high velocity. But just trying to get him back in the hitting zone."

As for the possibility or even likelihood that Ohtani is compromised at the plate because of his knee and, to a lesser extent, his biceps, Roberts said:

"I haven't heard anything other than he feels fine. So I don't know if he's trying to do too much because he doesn't feel perfect. This time of year, everyone doesn't feel -- no one feels perfect. He's doing the best he can.

"Yeah, he'll be in there Game 3, and we've just got to, again, take good at-bats and expect the best."

The Dodgers with their rotation of aces don't easily concede any pitching match-up, but the bullpen game run to success by Braves manager Walt Weiss in Game 2 will allow Atlanta to start Sale, as dominant as ever at age 37, on full rest in Tuesday's pivotal Game 3. Sale owns the platoon advantage against Ohtani and other lefty Dodger batters and, as Roberts notes, his stuff is top of the scale. For a hitter struggling like Ohtani has been for weeks and possibly without a healthy foundation under him at the plate, facing the likes of Sale is no way to get right.

After almost a decade of baseball miracles upon baseball miracles, there's no sensible path to doubting Ohtani. The Dodgers' lineup fulcrum and leadoff hitter, though, might not be the real Ohtani thanks to those injuries. That, as much as anything else, is imperiling the Dodger dynasty right about now.