Will Dodgers bench Shohei Ohtani for Game 3 vs Brewers? What we know

Mark Giannotto, USA TODAYTue, October 13, 2026 at 3:29 PM UTC

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If it were anyone else but Shohei Ohtani, the decision might be obvious because the numbers are grim.

A year after the Los Angeles Dodgers star put together arguably the greatest performance in MLB postseason history against the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series, Ohtani is in danger of being benched. Or at least Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn't rule it out after the Brewers took a 2-0 series lead in the 2026 NLCS on Monday, Oct. 12.

Ohtani is now 1-for-7 with three strikeouts over the first two games of the series, and it lowered his postseason batting average to .150. He has yet to record an extra-base hit in the playoffs. Though the 4-time MVP has not discussed his struggles at the plate publicly since the postseason began, there are injury concerns related to the slump.

It's why, with the their season on the brink, the Dodgers are suddenly confronting a question that would have seemed absurd just weeks ago: Are they be better off right now without Ohtani in the lineup for Wednesday's pivotal Game 3 in Los Angeles.

"He hasn't been who he is," Roberts acknowledged recently.

Here's the latest update on Ohtani's status and what the Dodgers are saying about the situation:

ANALYSIS: Dodgers need these three things to crawl out of NLCS hole vs Brewers

Will the Dodgers bench Shohei Ohtani for Game 3?

For the first time, they appear to be considering it.

Roberts told The Athletic following Game 2 that he would have "a conversation" with Ohtani on Tuesday, Oct. 13 to "try to figure out what’s best for him, what’s best for us." Josue De Paula is considered the leading candidate to replace Ohtani as the team's designated hitter if he were to sit.

Ohtani's poor performance in the NLCS comes on the heels of him hitting .154 (2-for-13) with four strikeouts and no extra-base hits in the four-game NL Division Series against Atlanta. The decision to remove him from the Dodgers' lineup altogether would nonetheless be a dramatic turn of events.

Ohtani helped the Dodgers advance past the Brewers in the 2025 NLCS with a Game 4 performance of the ages nearly one year ago. He pitched six scoreless innings as the Dodgers' starting pitcher and became just the 12th player in MLB postseason history to hit three home runs in the same game.

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It sounds as if his teammates aren't sure what to make of his struggles considering how rarely it's happened in the past.

“I mean, it’s tough,’’ Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernández said following Game 2. “We obviously need him.  You know, he’s a big, big part of this team, and he’s really important. I feel bad for him. You know what he’s capable of. He’s been dealing with some stuff in the past. We don’t know if it’s still there, but you know, it’s Shohei. Any moment he can come through.’’

“It’s hard, it’s hard to see,’’ added Mookie Betts. “We know he’s working, but that’s a big one. We need him. We need him for sure.’’

Shohei Ohtani injury update

Though the Dodgers haven't disclosed exactly what's ailing Ohtani, Roberts said before the postseason began that his star was "not 100%" to start the playoffs. The sore left knee that forced him to stop pitching this season and a strained bicep that could be lingering were mentioned as possible health concerns by USA TODAY's Bob Nightengale after Game 2 of the NLCS.

Ohtani has looked noticeably uncomfortable at the plate and has not spoken to reporters since Oct. 2 before the Dodgers' division series against the Atlanta Braves began. His production has been in decline for two months and he last hit a home run on Aug. 18 at Coors Field.

Ohtani told reporters before the playoffs began, after getting rest during while the Dodgers waited out the wild-card round, that it feels really good overall. "I do feel like my swing is in a better place, feels smooth, and just little tweaks here and there, and I'll be ready for (Saturday).’’

He also may have offered a clue into how his talk with Roberts ahead of Game 3 might go.

“I do pride myself on playing every day,’’ Ohtani said. “I do see it as an obligation as a professional to be on the field every single day. Just being on the IL has taught me a lot. … I haven't been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this. I think that process is going to happen during the offseason when I'm going to have a little bit more time to be able to address it. But as of now, it's something I'm just going to have to manage.’’

Dave Roberts discusses Shohei Ohtani's struggles

Roberts' reported admission that he's finally considering leaving Ohtani out of the lineup arrives after weeks of him defending Ohtani's presence as a potential positive even if he wasn't producing. Roberts said Ohtani is still being pitched carefully based on his MVP reputation, despite struggles at the plate that date back two months at this point.

"If he's in the batter's box, he's still a threat. He's swung the bat well against these guys last postseason," Roberts said before the NLCS began. "Those pitchers, their memories are long, and so now it's just up to Shohei to understand that and control the strike zone. They're just not going to give into him, regardless of how he might be swinging the bat over the last couple months."

Shohei Ohtani postseason stats

Ohtani has a .150 batting average during the 2026 MLB postseason after the first two games of the NLCS vs. the Milwaukee Brewers. He has yet to produce an extra-base hit over six games. He entered this postseason with a career .248 batting average, .940 OPS, 11 home runs and 24 RBIs over 33 playoff games during back-to-back World Series runs with the Dodgers in 2024 and 2025.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Dodgers bench Shohei Ohtani for Game 3 vs Brewers? What we know

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