Dodgers believe Shohei Ohtani is close to full health

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani has been sputtering.

In the second half of May, Ohtani hit .196 (10 for 51) in 13 games, a drop-off which coincides with his hamstring injury.

“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,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said Saturday.

“When his back was bothering him a little bit, you saw some funkier swings, a little more chase. Hamstring bothering him a little bit, you see a little bit of the same thing.”

Ohtani was hurt when he was hit by a pickoff throw against Cincinnati on May 16. The injury was apparent in some of his subsequent base running, especially during the six-game road trip to Cincinnati and the New York Mets, but Roberts believes Ohtani is close to full health.

Roberts’ bigger concern for Ohtani, and the lineup as a whole, has been a recent inability to adjust to what opposing pitchers are doing. Roberts believes making better use of the whole field can improve the situation.

“Staying to the big part of the field is a remedy,” Roberts said.

Roberts said he has considered shaking up the top of the order by breaking up Ohtani and Freddie Freeman against left-handed pitching. The switch won’t happen in the series finale against Colorado on Sunday.

“Not against right-handed pitching, potentially against the left, and I only say that because it just gives that opposing manager or team that runway,” Roberts said. “But with the left hander, they have it three, potentially four times that particular night to not have the Will Smith tax.”

Even with Ohtani’s recent struggles, which has dropped his batting average down to .326, the Dodgers are fifth in the major leagues in runs scored (289).

When asked to evaluate the team’s hitting through two months of the season, Roberts was quick to point out that production has come even as Freeman has yet to find his groove. Freeman, who is batting .286, uncharacteristically did not have a hit in three straight home games going into the contest against the Rockies on Saturday.

“Obviously we’re up there in runs scored as a team,” Roberts said. “I think that the bottom part of the order has gotten better in the last week, so that’s stabilized some things. I think there’s been some consistency at the top. Freddie hasn’t found his swing all year but still remarkably still a solid performer, so that’s actually encouraging.”

KERSHAW TAKES THE MOUND

It wasn’t much, just batting practice, but it marked another milestone in Clayton Kershaw’s recovery from offseason shoulder surgery.

Kershaw faced live hitters on Saturday afternoon, the first time he had done so since having the glenohumeral ligaments and capsule in his left should repaired on November 3.

“My vantage point, I thought it was good,” Roberts said. “I think he touched 88, which was great to see. … And we got out of it what we hoped for. He came out of it feeling good, feeling strong, and he had no tentativeness, so that was a real positive today.”

Kershaw, 36, used his fastball and slider facing a lineup which included 2023 first-round draft pick Kendall George.

“I was looking for a clean throw, seeing how the ball was coming out,” Roberts said. “I’ve seen some bullpens. I saw today and I didn’t see him guarding anything. He felt free and easy, so for me, my eyes told me it was really, really positive.”

Roberts said Kershaw’s workout was the equivalent of the second day of spring training for pitchers and catchers, which under the most optimistic timeline would have him looking at a six-week ramp up.

The next step will be a two-inning simulated game with Class-A Rancho Cucamonga while the Dodgers are on the road next week at Pittsburgh and the New York Yankees.

Kershaw signed a one-year contract in February, bringing him back for his 17th season as a Dodger. The deal includes a player option for 2025.

Kershaw went 13-5 with a 2.46 ERA in 24 starts last season. He has a career record of 210-92 with a 2.48 ERA.

UP NEXT

Rockies (LHP Austin Gomber, 1-2, 2.76 ERA) at Dodgers (RHP Gavin Stone, 5-2, 3.16 ERA), Saturday, 1:10 p.m., SportsNet LA, 570 AM