Slumps are a normal part of sports and every player goes through them at some point. Especially in the game of baseball, slumps are a large, inconvenient truth of the sport that stages games practically every day for six months.
For a player as talented as Shohei Ohtani, it’s almost inconceivable that he could be in one. Yet, Ohtani has been in one since mid-May.
Over his last 15 games entering Tuesday’s contest in Pittsburgh, Ohtani is hitting .193 with two home runs and eight runs batted in. He has 15 strikeouts, five walks, and only one double as well.
It’s been a strange occurrence for the reigning American League MVP, which has made those around the game wonder what’s going on. But Dodgers manager Dave Roberts seems to have a good idea of what could be causing the issue.
“His words, he doesn’t feel it when he’s swinging the bat. But he’s a finely tuned machine, and sometimes, in the context of a sports car, when it’s not firing on all cylinders, it just doesn’t run right. When his back was bothering him a little bit [in early May] you saw some funkier swings, a little bit more chase. His hamstring is bothering him a little bit, you see a little bit of the same thing. But I think that he’s getting close to where he needs to be physically. I think that staying to the big part of the field is a remedy.”
— Dodgers manager Dave Roberts
Ohtani has been playing through a hamstring strain that has clearly impacted him a little bit. The Los Angeles offense has slowed in recent weeks, likely due in part to the struggles of Ohtani.
The hope is that Ohtani can find his swing again soon, but this kind of stretch is normal for any player. For the Dodgers to reach their goal of winning another World Series, Ohtani will need to be the MVP player they signed last December.
Photo Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
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Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, growing up a huge fan of the Dodgers and Lakers. Matt Kemp was his favorite Dodgers player growing up.
