Los Angeles – In a surprising move, Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani took rare on-field batting practice Wednesday before the team’s homestand finale against the Cleveland Guardians.

Addressing Early Season Struggles

The session came as Ohtani is off to a relatively slow start, going 3 for 15 with no extra-base hits through his first five games. He opened the season with a .455 on-base percentage, but his early-season .655 OPS is significantly below his career average.

Ohtani began the practice by hitting balls deep into the right-field seats, drawing attention from the Guardians players as they prepared for their pregame stretches. At one point, a swing sent a ball directly towards the assembled Cleveland players.

A Rare Sight

On-field batting practice sessions are uncommon for Ohtani. Since joining the Dodgers before the 2024 campaign, he has only taken batting practice on the field a handful of times. He previously hit before Game 3 of the National League Championship Series and during practices with Team Japan.

Manager and Player Perspectives

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts emphasized that Ohtani is being pitched carefully. “Honestly, I don’t think that I’m seeing him miss a lot of good pitches to hit,” Roberts said. “I think they’re understandably pitching him very carefully. I do like the way he’s being selective and taking walks when they’re given.”

Ohtani acknowledged his struggles with impact hitting. “I’ve been able to get on base and that’s a good thing,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “But on pitches that I should be making impact, I’m not quite able to do that to the extent that I should be able to. That’s the part that I’m not quite happy about.”

Team-Wide Adjustments

Ohtani isn’t the only Dodger facing early-season challenges. Freddie Freeman was 4 for 20 through five games, and Mookie Betts was 3 for 19. Roberts downplayed the slow starts, stating that such fluctuations are common over a 162-game season.

Dodgers Roster Moves

The Dodgers also announced several roster moves on Wednesday. Left-hander Justin Wrobleski will make his first start of the season during the upcoming road trip to Washington and Toronto. This will give Ohtani an extra day of rest between starts.

  • Left-hander Jake Eder was added from the Washington Nationals for cash considerations.
  • Right-hander Grant Holman was claimed off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks.
  • Right-hander Gavin Stone was moved to the 60-day injured list with shoulder inflammation.