Dodgers considering benching Shohei Ohtani for NLCS Game 3, per The Athletic

Shohei Ohtani is reportedly not in line to start Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium — a development that would remove the Dodgers' most recognizable hitter from the lineup as the series shifts to Los Angeles with the club trailing Milwaukee one game to none, per Katie Woo and Ken Rosenthal at The Athletic.

What happened

After the Dodgers' 7-4 loss to the Brewers in Game 2 on Monday, manager Dave Roberts spoke with The Athletic about Ohtani's status. Roberts said, per the outlet, that things "obviously haven't been good," that Ohtani does not feel well, and that he planned to have a conversation with Ohtani on Tuesday to determine what is best for the player and the team. Roberts indicated he would have that conversation before Game 3.

Per The Athletic's reporting, that framing from Roberts strongly implies Ohtani will not be in the starting lineup for Wednesday's game. The Dodgers have not made any announcement about his status.

Why it matters

The decision, if it holds, would represent a significant tactical concession — and an acknowledgment of something that has been building for months. Ohtani returned from the injured list in the final week of the regular season, and his presence in the middle of the batting order during the postseason has been, as Yahoo Sports described it, more symbolic than actually productive.

The injury timeline is layered. Per Yahoo Sports, Ohtani first dealt with left knee irritation in June, which led the team to pause his pitching after July 3 and caused him to miss the All-Star Game for treatment. As he worked back on the mound, a right biceps issue emerged, producing a series of starts and stops in his pitching program. By early September, the effects were visible enough that he landed on the injured list with biceps inflammation. He has not pitched in the postseason.

Before the NL Division Series, Ohtani addressed his health through interpreter Will Ireton. Per Yahoo Sports, Ohtani said he had not yet identified what was driving his physical problems, that a more thorough examination would come in the off-season when he would have more time to address it, and that for the moment it was something he would simply have to manage.

That statement has aged into something of a quiet warning. The question of how forthcoming Ohtani has been about the full scope of his injuries, per Yahoo Sports, remains open.

The numbers

The production line tells the story of a second half that never quite arrived. Per Yahoo Sports, Ohtani last homered on August 18 at Coors Field. In the 110 plate appearances since that date, he has driven in one run. The Dodgers finished the regular season 100-62 (.617), first in the NL West — a record built substantially on what Ohtani contributed before the injuries compounded.

In the NLDS, per newsroom reporting, Ohtani went 2-for-13 with four strikeouts and was dropped to fifth in the lineup. The Dodgers won that series, but not because of production from their designated hitter.

One hundred and ten plate appearances, one RBI. The number does not require much additional framing. It simply sits there.

Where the club stands

Los Angeles enters Game 3 at 100-62 (.617), first in the NL West, and riding a three-game winning streak — though that streak is a product of the NLDS, and the NLCS has opened with a loss. The Dodgers host Milwaukee on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday at UNIQLO Field at Dodger Stadium. Probable pitchers for Game 3 are listed as TBD for Los Angeles against Robert Gasser for Milwaukee. Thursday and Friday's pitching matchups have not been announced.

The series returning to Los Angeles would ordinarily be a source of comfort. Whether it remains so without Ohtani in the lineup — or with a diminished version of him — is the operational question the club is now navigating in real time.

It is worth noting that Ohtani is not the only Dodger managing his body through October. Per earlier newsroom reporting, Miguel Rojas dealt with a back flare-up during the Division Series, received a cortisone injection, and was expected to make the NLCS roster. The club has been assembling its postseason lineup around a collection of players who are, to varying degrees, not entirely whole. A day before Game 2, newsroom reporting also noted that Teoscar Hernández had moved to third in the batting order while Will Smith dropped to fifth and Tommy Edman started at second base over Kiké Hernández — lineup construction that already reflected some degree of adjustment around Ohtani's diminished role.

What we don't know yet

Roberts said he would speak with Ohtani on Tuesday before Game 3. The outcome of that conversation — and whether Ohtani ultimately sits, starts, or is available off the bench in a limited capacity — has not been reported. The Dodgers have not made any announcement about his Wednesday status.

The deeper uncertainty is medical. Per Yahoo Sports, Ohtani said before the NLDS that he had not yet identified what was driving his physical problems and that a fuller assessment would come in the off-season. What that assessment will reveal, and what it might mean for his availability as the NLCS continues, is not known. The question of how long he has been dealing with the full combination of injuries, per Yahoo Sports, also remains unclear.

What to watch

### Will Ohtani be available at all on Wednesday?

Per The Athletic's reporting, he is reportedly not in line to start Game 3. Whether he is available as a pinch-hitter or in some other limited role has not been addressed in the available reporting. Roberts indicated the conversation with Ohtani would happen Tuesday, so any update on his status would most likely surface through pregame availability before Wednesday's first pitch at Dodger Stadium.

Beyond Game 3, the broader question is whether a benching — if it comes to that — is a one-game adjustment or a signal about the rest of the series. The Dodgers have Thursday and Friday at home as well, and the series remains very much alive. How Roberts manages Ohtani's role across those games, and whether the club's lineup construction shifts to account for his absence, will shape how Los Angeles approaches what remains of October.

The Brewers send Robert Gasser to the mound for Game 3. What the Dodgers' lineup looks like without Ohtani anchoring the middle of it — and who absorbs that spot in the order — is the most immediate question the club faces heading into Wednesday night. The answer, per Roberts, is coming Tuesday.