Dodgers Made Huge Mistake With Shohei Ohtani Back In August

Baseball Now argues that the Los Angeles Dodgers made a critical error by having Shohei Ohtani begin a throwing progression on August 8. After posting a 1.76 ERA across 14 first-half starts, Ohtani dealt with knee and biceps issues. The outlet contends that attempting to bring him back to the mound placed unnecessary strain on his body and derailed his elite offensive production down the stretch of the season.

Following the start of his throwing program, Ohtani's OPS dropped from .944 between July and August 7 down to .666 from August 8 onward. The writer asserts that with a starting rotation featuring Tarik Skubal, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tyler Glasnow, and Blake Snell, the Dodgers did not need Ohtani to pitch and should have placed him on the injured list earlier to preserve his hitting for October.