Shohei Ohtani to return from IL Wednesday, but Dodgers still have unanswered questions in final week
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The Dodgers have less than a week left of the regular season to round into playoff form. And their roster moves for this series reflect that time crunch.
Manager Dave Roberts confirmed Tuesday that Shohei Ohtani (right biceps, left knee) was set to be reinstated from the 15-day injured list on Wednesday. Ohtani is feeling “considerably” better than he was before the IL stint, according to Roberts.
“I would say if he was a five, he’s probably an eight or a nine right now,” Roberts said before eight pitchers led the Dodgers’ 7-0 win against the San Diego Padres in the series opener.
On Tuesday, the Dodgers trimmed their magic number to clinch a first-round bye to one. And before the game, they returned two other important postseason pieces, reinstating center fielder Andy Pages (fractured left hand) and right-hander Roki Sasaki (right middle finger blister) from the injured list.
In corresponding moves, the Dodgers optioned right-hander Emmet Sheehan and catcher Eliézer Alfonzo to triple-A Oklahoma City.
Sasaki took the fourth inning of the bullpen game and threw scoreless ball. He gave up a pair of singles, but his fastball had a little extra life in the short stint, averaging 98.7 mph and topping out at 101.7.
“I was able to settle in because I had the experience [out of the bullpen] last year,” Sasaki said through interpreter Kensuke Okubo. “I probably am going to throw a couple more games, so I’m just going to make adjustments and just keep moving forward.”
Pages went 0 for 2 but reached base twice, on a hit by pitch and a walk.
“Obviously being out a month, I’m a little bit not so great or familiar at the plate,” Pages said through team interpreter Juan Dorado. “But there are things from [hitting off the Trajekt machine] that helped me be able to come back.”
Even as players return, however, there are still questions the Dodgers have to answer in the last week of the season:
Where will Ohtani hit?
At least at first, Roberts plans to write Ohtani in at the top of the order, per usual. But shortstop Mookie Betts has entered the conversation.
“Certainly versus right-handed pitching [Ohtani] will be there,” Roberts said. “I do think I should think through the Mookie versus left situation, but I have to think about the entire lineup structure.”
Ohtani has hit leadoff in every game he’s started this year. But he hit No. 2 in 79 games the two previous seasons combined.
Even without Ohtani, the Dodgers lineup has been clicking. On Tuesday, Tommy Edman hit his second home run in as many games, and Will Smith homered for the third time in four days.
Is the rotation healthy?
Dodgers left-hander Blake Snell, who exited his start last week with left groin tightness, threw a bullpen on Tuesday. He’s scheduled for one final regular-season start Saturday, Roberts said.
That means all four of the Dodgers’ projected playoff starters are lined up to pitch this Wednesday through Saturday, with Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Tyler Glasnow on the mound for the last two games against the Padres, and Tarik Skubal and Snell in the first two games in San Francisco.
Who is the closer?
In short, it could change by the day.
“In a perfect world, as we all know the world’s not perfect, I would love [a set closer],” Roberts said. “I think if there’s an opportunity, for example, for Tanner [Scott] to pitch a high-leverage inning in the seventh or the eighth inning, it’s just hard to pass that up if he’s the best option right there. Because you just don’t know where the ninth inning is going to be.
“Those are things that you have to kind of toil with, and those are always good things for people to debate. Right now I don’t see a one-person closer.”
Sasaki stepped into that role last year. It’s unclear exactly how Roberts will use him this time around, but Roberts said he could be an option, depending on how he pitches coming off the IL.
“Last year it was one of those things where it was a situation of need, as far as where we were at with performance and health and guys,” Roberts said. “He filled that role admirably.”
On Tuesday, he was one of eight Dodgers pitchers who combined for a bullpen-day shutout.
“We’ve had a lot of talent over the years,” Roberts said. “But as far as sitting here today at the end of the season, it’s as good of shape as we’ve ever been in with the bullpen. That could change in a day, in a game, as we all know. But right now, feel really good about everyone out there.”
Right-hander Edwin Díaz, who lost the closer role due to a combination of injuries and poor performance, is on his way to pitching himself back into consideration for the ninth. On Tuesday, he retired the top of the lineup in order for a clean fifth inning, marking his third straight scoreless outing since returning from the IL.
“If you’re one of the 12, 13 pitchers on a potential postseason roster, you’re in the trust tree,” Roberts said. “And he’s put himself right smack in that conversation. And given all that he’s had to go through this year to right the ship, it’s a big credit to him.”
Who gets the last bench spot?
The battle to serve as the left-handed bat off the bench in the postseason has come down to rookie Josue De Paula and injured catcher Dalton Rushing (right flexor strain). But with Rushing still on the IL, De Paula appears to have an edge.
Don’t read too much into the Dodgers’ corresponding move for Ohtani on Wednesday. If they option De Paula 10 days out from the first game of the National League Division Series, he can still be included on the roster.
The Dodgers will have to make another roster move later in the week, when they plan to activate Rushing. If they option a player to make room for Rushing, that player would only be eligible for the start of the NLDS as the corresponding transaction for an IL move.
