Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani batting struggles when pitching may force difficult Dave Roberts decision originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Los Angeles Dodgers have the best player in baseball in Shohei Ohtani, who is both one of the top pitchers and one of the most dangerous hitters in the league. Ohtani resumed pitching last season after returning from injury. However, in his start against the Mets, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts decided he would focus solely on pitching.

“Ohtani is the starting pitcher for the Dodgers' series finale against the Mets on Wednesday night at Dodger Stadium (7 p.m. PT/10 ET on ESPN), but he will not hit. Kyle Tucker moved up to the leadoff spot in his place, and Dalton Rushing got a start at designated hitter without Ohtani in the lineup,” MLB.com’s Sonja Chen wrote.

The decision paid off for Los Angeles, as Ohtani was dominant on the mound, striking out 10 batters. After the outing, there was even discussion that the Dodgers should continue with that approach.

“I would encourage him to not hit at all when he starts (pitching) the rest of the year,” MLB Now’s Dan O'Dowd said.

On Wednesday night, Ohtani took the mound against the . This time, he was also in the lineup as a hitter. While he once again dominated as a pitcher, he struggled at the plate. His numbers when both pitching and hitting since his return suggest Roberts may need to make a difficult decision about using him as a designated hitter on those days.