There's a reason the Los Angeles Dodgers inked Shohei Ohtani to a deal worth $700 million last offseason.
The modern-day Babe Ruth can crush homers as well as anyone in the game today -- and he can pitch to a similar level. The second part of that statement is something that no one has seen during postseason play.
Soon, all of that will change given the fact it's nearly inevitable the Dodgers will yet again feature in the playoffs. Ohtani, an uber-competitor, will finally get the opportunity to showcase his stuff on the world's largest stage in one of the most pressure-packed postseason tournaments of any sport on the planet.
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There are questions as to when he'll be used. The first step in unraveling this situation is actually out of Ohtani's hands. If the Dodgers can earn one of the top two seeds in the National League, the team will enjoy a bye. Otherwise, playing in the Wild Card round will occur -- something LA would like to avoid if possible.
Following Monday's loss versus the Philadelphia Phillies, Los Angeles trails the Phillies by 5.5 games for the final bye spot. Winning the final two games of the series would give LA a slight chance to still earn the bye.
As it pertains to Ohtani and his spot in the pecking order, it's anyone's guess as to where he could possibly be slotted in a postseason rotation figuring to feature fellow aces in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Blake Snell, and Tyler Glasnow.
Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic may have reported an inkling to that pressing question. Ohtani is scheduled to pitch Tuesday in the middle game of the series.
"Ohtani will start that second game against the Philadelphia Phillies on Tuesday, Roberts confirmed this weekend, giving the two-way star 11 days between pitching outings. Roberts said the extended layoff was just the team being cautious with their prized star, but it comes with a potential wrinkle.
"It would line him up to pitch again the following Tuesday, and then have a week before potentially starting Game 1 of a Wild Card Series the Tuesday after that."
When pressured further on Ohtani's potential slotting, manager Dave Roberts was very coy when thoughtfully answering himself.
"I don't know," Roberts said with a smile. "I'm just trying to get through this series and the next series."
Based on how Ohtani's been trending in terms of usage, it would line him to start a Wild Card series.
Given the depth the team has at the spot, there's not even a guarantee Ohtani would make another start in a shortened series. As Roberts mentioned a few days ago, Ohtani coming out of the bullpen down the line could also be something worth exploring.
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