As the Los Angeles Dodgers continue to think about their postseason plan for Shohei Ohtani, the three-time MVP is at least open to the idea of playing in the outfield for the first time in four years.
Speaking to Japanese media after Tuesday’s 9-6 loss to the Philadelphia Phillies, Ohtani said he wants “to be prepared” for the possibility of being asked about taking reps in the outfield.
“As a player, if I’m told to go somewhere, I want to be prepared to do so,” Ohtani told reporters (h/t MLB.com’s Thomas Harrigan). “That’s on the mound and perhaps even in the outfield.”
Ohtani’s playoff usage is something that’s been talked about for awhile now.
The primary focus up to this point is how the Dodgers planned to use him as a pitcher, with the team’s pitching coach Mark Prior saying in August there’s “absolutely” a scenario in which Ohtani could be used out of the bullpen.
Los Angeles’ relief corps has been very inconsistent throughout the regular season, so that’s certainly a spot that manager Dave Roberts might be tense about when he has to rely on it in a playoff setting.
Among teams currently in playoff position, the Dodgers have the third-worst bullpen ERA (4.30). Only the Philadelphia Phillies (4.37) and New York Yankees (4.61) have been worse.
The issue with potentially using Ohtani out of the bullpen is if he starts the game as a designated hitter, then pitches in relief, the Dodgers would lose their DH spot for the remainder of the game.
Before MLB adopted the rule in 2022 that allowed starting pitchers to remain in the game at DH, the Los Angeles Angels used him in the outfield for a few games. He only has seven career appearances in the outfield, so tasking him with it in a high-leverage postseason setting comes with plenty of risk.
Ultimately, though, the Dodgers need to keep Ohtani’s bat in the lineup no matter what.
The 31-year-old is a frontrunner for his fourth career MVP award with a .282/.395/.611 slash line and 50 homers in 683 plate appearances as a hitter and 3.29 ERA with 54 strikeouts in 41 innings as a pitcher.
Before the Dodgers can think about their playoff lineup and pitching rotation, they have to clinch a spot in the postseason first. Their magic number to clinch a playoff berth is four and to clinch the NL West is nine.
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