Shohei Ohtani cant pitch, and now he cant hit. What should team do with Dodgers star?

One round of the playoffs down, two to go, and Shohei Ohtani still looks nothing like Shohei Ohtani.The Dodgers have moved him around their lineup almost on a game-by-game basis, as if they’re looking for a place to hide him without embarrassing him.If they really believe that “it’s going to click for him” at some point, as president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the other night, they have a strange way of showing it.Statistically, Ohtani was in an even worse place last October, as he batted .121 over an eight-game stretch early in the postseason.

The Dodgers kept Ohtani in his customary leadoff spot and he blasted three home runs in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series.He went on to homer three more times in the World Series.

Sticking by Ohtani was an easy decision then, as the Dodgers were certain his problems were mechanical and not physical.As much as Friedman and others have claimed that’s also the case this year, how they have used him indicates they are exaggerating, if not downright lying, about how confident they are about the health of his right arm and left knee.Ohtani could also be experiencing discomfort in other areas of his body.Last month, before Ohtani was placed on the injured list, he was known to be dealing with discomfort in his hip and neck.

This week, in his final at-bat in Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, he grabbed his lower back after fouling off a pitch.Heading into the NL Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Ohtani is 2 for 13 without any extra-base hits in this postseason.So, what now? What do the Dodgers have to do with Ohtani?The simple answer: Nothing different.No need to drop him any further than fourth or fifth in the lineup.No need to replace him as the starting designated hitter.

No need to shut him down. Keep running him out there – but not because manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani is “going to come to life.” Ohtani last homered on Aug....