LOS ANGELES -- Shohei Ohtani was "convicted" and "adamant" that he is close to recovering from his prodigious slump and will be in the lineup for Game 3 of the National League Championship Series on Wednesday night, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said before his team's workout Tuesday afternoon.
Ohtani went 0-for-4 with two strikeouts in the Dodgers' 7-4 loss to the Milwaukee Brewers on Monday, one that put his team in a 2-0 hole in the best-of-seven NLCS. Roberts planned to check with his two-way superstar when the team returned to Los Angeles to gauge whether he would continue playing, but a source told ESPN that Ohtani would remain in the lineup as long as he deemed himself healthy enough.
According to Roberts, that's what Ohtani communicated.
"He was adamant that he can help us," Roberts said. "He's well enough to help us win a baseball game. So that's all I needed to hear. I've never wavered in my belief in him."
Ohtani has not homered since Aug. 18 and has driven in only one run since. He went 11-for-70 with 29 strikeouts to finish the regular season, accumulating only three extra-base hits in the process, and has since gone 3-for-20 in the playoffs. The low point seemingly occurred in Monday's sixth inning, in an at-bat that began with Ohtani flashing bunt and ended with him flailing helplessly at a sweeper well out of the zone, losing his bat in the process.
Roberts acknowledged that Ohtani was still bothered by the left knee and right arm issues that prevented him from pitching beyond early July and eventually crept into his offense. But Ohtani, speaking through an interpreter, said his symptoms have "subdued a lot" since spending two weeks on the injured list last month.
"The symptoms shouldn't be the reason why I can't hit," Ohtani said, "and even if the injuries happen by accident, I take full responsibility. I take that as an opportunity for me to just take full responsibility for it. Today it's going to be another process for me to tinker and try new things."
Ohtani began to platoon with Mookie Betts in the leadoff spot upon being activated off the IL on Sept. 23, with only five regular-season games left, and was moved back to fourth and fifth in the lineup beginning with Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves. Against Brewers left-hander Robert Gasser in Wednesday's Game 3, Roberts said Ohtani would hit anywhere between second and sixth.
When asked whether his injuries have affected his mechanics, Ohtani said: "The results, take full responsibility. That's all I can really say, why the results haven't been where I wanted it to be. But I think there's different approaches to this, whether that be focusing on reducing the symptoms and getting rid of the pain and/or just making sure that I'm moving well in the swing."