Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani, who's struggling at the plate and dealing with multiple ailments, will be the team's designated hitter for Wednesday's Game 3 of the NLCS, manager Dave Roberts announced Tuesday.
There was speculation after Monday's Game 2 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers that Ohtani would be benched after Roberts said he would speak to the four-time MVP about his status. However, the skipper said Ohtani made it clear he wants to play when the series shifts to L.A.
"He's adamant he feels good enough to be in there," Roberts told reporters, according to ASAP Sports. "He's close to finding something with his swing. I feel great about it. He wants to be in there and help us win a ballgame and win a championship."
Roberts added: "At the end of the day in this big moment, we're listening to Shohei, and we're going to support the crap out of him and believe in him, and that's it."
Ohtani has gone 3-for-24 without an extra-base hit or RBI during the postseason. The 32-year-old hasn't homered since Aug. 18.
"It's everything. It's the upper body, it's the knee, and he's just not perfect," Roberts said of what's ailing Ohtani. "But in his words, he's ready to go."
Meanwhile, Ohtani acknowledged that his swing mechanics have been impacting his performance more than his health.
"The symptoms shouldn't be the reason why I can't hit, and even if the injuries happen by accident, I take full responsibility," Ohtani told reporters. "I take that as an opportunity for me to just take full responsibility for it. Today it's going to be another process for me to tinker and try new things."
Ohtani added that he feels close to breaking through.
"Over the course of this long season, there's only really a short period of time when my mechanics is completely in sync," Ohtani said. "So it's just really kind of just going back and forth, finding the right parts of the swing and managing just the different parts of the swing. So it's a constant, ongoing process that's headed in the right direction."
The two-time defending World Series champions are in a 2-0 series hole vs. Milwaukee.
The Dodgers will send two-time Cy Young winner Blake Snell to the mound Wednesday. The Brewers have tabbed Robert Gasser as their starter.
