Shohei Ohtani, Dave Roberts project confidence ahead of NLCS Game 3, even as injuries continue to stymie Dodgers superstar

LOS ANGELES — A rising gust of whispers funneled through the subterranean hallways beneath Dodger Stadium. Each media member, once made aware of the unexpected, passed the news on to the next person they saw. The hum grew into a chatter as reporters filed back into the cramped news conference room.

“Shohei is coming.”

When Ohtani actually entered the room, followed by members of Dodgers PR and his interpreter, Will Ireton, the din turned to silence in an instant, like the shutting off of a transistor radio.

Rarely does the Dodgers superstar speak to the media. During the regular season, the established routine was for Ohtani to answer eight or so questions after games in which he pitched. After his two-way exploits were halted in early July, he was made available only a handful of times.

However, these are not regular circumstances. 

The four-time MVP, following an injury-marred second half, is currently a husk of his best self. In six games this postseason, Ohtani is a disastrous 3-for-20 with zero extra-base hits and seven strikeouts. Through it all, the sport’s most famous character has looked discombobulated, wounded, compromised, out of sync. His disappearing act is a massive reason the two-time defending World Series champs find themselves down 0-2 to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NLCS.

Ohtani’s elongated schneid, according to a report from The Athletic after Game 2, sparked consideration among Dodgers brass about sitting Ohtani for Game 3. A day off, perhaps, could provide a morsel of healing for Ohtani’s aching body. 

But prior to the team’s workout on Tuesday, manager Dave Roberts told reporters that Ohtani will indeed be in the lineup for Game 3 on Wednesday.

“I did speak to Sho, had a great conversation,” Roberts proclaimed. “He's adamant he feels good enough to be in there. He's close to finding something with his swing. I feel great about it. He wants to be in there and help us win a ballgame and win a championship.“

Ohtani, always reticent to reveal much, echoed that optimism.

“The symptoms have subdued a lot, especially [compared to] when I was on the IL, spending that time just being able to reduce the symptoms,” he explained via Ireton.

But instead of blaming his recent underperformance on lingering injuries or physical ailments, Ohtani directed attention toward his swing mechanics.

“The symptoms shouldn't be the reason why I can't hit,” Ohtani, who hasn’t hit, almost certainly because of the symptoms, insisted.

That sentiment feels somewhat detached from reality. Ohtani’s manager, for instance, had this to say about the superstar’s physical condition when asked for a specific medical diagnosis.

“It's everything,” Roberts said. “It's the upper body, it's the knee, and he's just not perfect. He's not. But in his words, he's ready to go.”

The entire scene was a bizarre, fitting culmination to Ohtani’s 2026 injury saga. A lack of clean communication between the player and the team likely exacerbated his various ailments earlier in the year. After his pitching was put on pause, Ohtani remained adamant about trying to return to the mound. The Dodgers, somewhat understandably considering Ohtani’s grandeur, let the face of the franchise do what he wanted. In doing so, though, they might have failed to protect Ohtani from himself, from his own physical limitations.

While nobody is sympathetic to the game’s richest and most dominant organization, the Dodgers were put in a sticky spot. Ask Shohei to prioritize load management, and you risk ticking off the most important player in baseball history, a man who effectively took a paycut to helm a dynasty. Let Ohtani dictate his own path, and you risk injury. Los Angeles chose door No. 2, and it might damn their season.

Perhaps Ohtani is correct, and he’s a few tweaks away from rediscovering the magic. Maybe he reemerges in Game 3, sends Dodger Stadium into pandemonium and leads the club to a three-peat. He has conjured grander miracles.

But that’s the thing about miracles — they defy the laws of nature. For most of his baseballing life, Ohtani has attempted and succeeded in doing just that. Father Time, however, is undefeated. Age will eventually reduce Ohtani; if not now, then one day in the future. 

If he doesn’t accept that reality, that moment might come sooner than anybody in Dodger blue wants.