Dodgers weigh benching Ohtani as NLCS deficit deepens

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he will meet with Shohei Ohtani on Thursday to decide whether the two-way star should remain in the lineup after the team fell behind 2-0 to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series. "He doesn't feel great. I think for me, it's having a conversation with him tomorrow, kind of try to figure out what's best for him, what's best for us," Roberts told reporters following the Dodgers' 7-4 loss in Game 2.

Ohtani has not pitched since early July because of left-knee discomfort and a sore right biceps, injuries that also limit his effectiveness at the plate. In the postseason he is batting .150 with seven strikeouts in 24 plate appearances, and he has not recorded a home run since mid-August. Advanced metrics show declines in exit velocity, hard-hit rate, barrel rate and expected wOBA compared with his performance earlier in the season.

If the club decides to sit Ohtani for Game 3, 21-year-old outfielder Josue De Paula is the most likely replacement. De Paula, a top prospect who posted a .303/.401/.547 slash line in Double-A last season and posted an OPS+ of 198 in a brief major-league stint, has already appeared three times in this postseason, drawing two walks.

The Dodgers must win four of a possible six games to advance, a scenario that historically favors the trailing team in only about 16 % of best-of-seven series. The decision on Ohtani therefore comes amid heightened pressure to reverse the series deficit.