Shohei Ohtani is experiencing a significant hitting slump in 2026, ranking among the worst in his MLB career. Despite his struggles at the plate, he continues to pitch well, aiming for a Cy Young Award.
Key points
Shohei Ohtani is experiencing a significant hitting slump in 2026.
His current slump ranks among the worst in his MLB career.
Ohtani continues to pitch well, aiming for a Cy Young Award.
The Dodgers are not overly concerned about his hitting struggles.
Shohei Ohtani is pitching like he wants to add a Cy Young Award to his resume. It may be his bat, surprisingly, that keeps him from a fifth MVP award.
Ohtani has had a hard time hitting like himself early this season, and his current slump ranks among the worst he's experienced.
Even the best hitters in baseball have their share of off weeks, or even off months. Ohtani is no exception, so the Dodgers likely aren't too concerned about his bat coming around at some point, but his struggles at the plate aren't something L.A. is accustomed to.
Here's a look at Ohtani's current slump and where it ranks among the worst of his career.
See every story in Sports — including breaking news and analysis.
Entering Wednesday's action, Ohtani was 0-for-17 over his last five games, walking six times but otherwise not reaching base.
The Dodgers designated hitter and pitcher saw his batting average drop 38 points from .278 to .240 over those five games, which were sandwiched between two starts on the mound. Ohtani has been stellar as a pitcher this season, but L.A. has opted of late to hold him out of the lineup on days he starts. It's possible that cadence has affected his rhythm at the plate.
Ohtani also entered Wednesday with only one home run over his last 20 games, which is a 162-game pace of 8.1 home runs. That's arguably even more striking than some trouble making contact over a span of a few games, as Ohtani is coming off back-to-back 50-home run seasons.
Where current Shohei Ohtani slump ranks against other slumps of career
Ohtani went hitless in five consecutive games for the first time since May 24–28, 2022. He broke the drought Wednesday with a hit against the Houston Astros, but that stretch from April 30 to May 4 was still the worst offensive stretch of his Dodgers tenure.
From a power standpoint, 2022 also marked the last time Ohtani had a similar drought. The last time he hit one or no home runs over a 20-game span came at the end of the 2022 season, when he was held without a home run over the final 22 games of the season for the Angels while still batting .313 during that stretch.
Ohtani has never had a hitless drought longer than five games when excluding games he didn’t start. He had a five-game hitless drought in 2021, along with a six-game hitless drought that comes with an asterisk because he had only one plate appearance as a pinch hitter in three of those games.
Ohtani’s power drought at the end of 2022 helped seal the MVP award for Aaron Judge, who set the American League single-season home run record. It’s the only season in the last five years that didn’t end with an MVP award for Ohtani.
For now, the Dodgers star’s brilliant pitching is allowing him to remain an MVP favorite. A Judge-like season from Matt Olson, who looks like the National League’s best hitter early in the season, could threaten Ohtani’s candidacy if the power stroke doesn’t return.
How long has it been since Shohei Ohtani hit a HR?
Ohtani hasn't hit a home run since April 26 in a win over the Cubs. That in itself isn't a massive drought, even for a power hitter like Ohtani, but his last home run before April 26 came all the way back on April 12.
Entering Wednesday, 169 different players had hit two home runs since April 13. Ohtani only has one in that span, and his OPS ranks 186th out of 280 qualified hitters since that date. That kind of sustained slump, spanning nearly a month, is extremely rare for the Japanese superstar.
Shohei Ohtani season stats
Here are Ohtani's offensive stats through Tuesday, May 5:
Stat
Shohei Ohtani
Games
33
AVG
.240
HR
6
RBI
14
H
30
BB
26
OPS
.814
An .814 OPS is above the league average by a healthy margin, but these numbers aren't typical for Ohtani. He is coming off three consecutive seasons with an OPS north of 1.000, and he is on pace for 27 home runs after back-to-back 50-home run seasons.
Ohtani nearly has as many walks as he does hits, and most of these marks would be career-lows on a full-season pace with the exception of the shortened 2020 season.
How old is Shohei Ohtani?
Ohtani is 31 years old; he is set to turn 32 in July.
By all accounts, Ohtani's body is not falling apart. His dominance on the mound, where he has a 0.97 ERA and 42 strikeouts in six starts, proves it. The Dodgers have no reason to believe Ohtani won't turn his season around at the plate, even if his current drought is more prolonged than usual.
