The Dodgers have the best two-way player in baseball history in Shohei Ohtani. But it might be time for Ohtani to become a one-way player.
Ohtani has been the best hitter in baseball for three plus years. He's posted an .OPS north of 1.000 in three straight years. His numbers are a bit down this year, but only slightly. His .289/.400/.543/.942 slash line remains one of the best in the game.
And, when healthy, Ohtani has been great on the mound, too. He has a 1.79 ERA and 0.95 WHIP in 14 starts this year. But he's one again dealing with pitching injuries, as the Dodgers are shutting him down on the mount for the near future.
"The benefits just don’t seem to outweigh the cost at this time of the season," Dave Roberts said.
Masterpress/Getty Images
Ohtani, who previously underwent Tommy John Surgery, is now dealing with some knee pain.
Is it time for Ohtani to just focus on one thing - hitting - for good?
Some believe so.
MLB fans urging Dodgers to shut Ohtani down as a pitcher
"Just sit him entirely right now. LA has a 12 game division lead, they can afford him the extra rest," one fan wrote.
"Okay no trolling on this one. Just Shohei legit can’t hit and pitch for a full season. He’s done it once without getting injured (maybe twice?). They already stopped him from doing both in the same games. He should probably just DH at this point… or DH & be a closer/reliever," one fan added.
"Shohei Ohtani should not be pitching for a while…" another fan added.
"It was fun while it lasted," one fan added.
What would you do with Ohtani if you were running the Dodgers?
