Shohei Ohtani struggles? Joey Votto expects Dodgers' star to break out

Los Angeles Dodgers superstar Shohei Ohtani is the frontrunner to win the National League Cy Young award, with an 0.82 ERA through seven starts this season.

But the five-time All-Star, who has won two American League Most Valuable Player awards in addition to the past two National League MVP awards, has struggled at the plate by the standards he's set, batting .240 with seven home runs through 185 plate appearances this season.

Former Cincinnati Reds star Joey Votto assessed Ohtani's struggles as a batter during an appearance on MLB Network's "MLB Now," and did not sound overly concerned at all.

"He does have that on-base percentage going," Votto said. "He is one game away from all of a sudden passing the .500, .550 (slugging percentage) and entering into .950, 1.000 OPS territory. And then what is there to worry about with him? If he wasn't walking … I would be more concerned."

"There's something going on in my opinion, watching his at-bats," Votto added. "I see something and I know for a fact he's light-years ahead of everybody that's commented on what he's doing at the plate. To me, it's as simple as the up-and-away pitch, the middle-up pitch and the away pitch. Those are the pitches that you want … and you have to be able to back the ball up in your swing. … That is a strength of his when he's at his very best. … He's ever-so-slightly off."

"There's absolutely nothing going on other than a slight targeting issue," Votto continued. "It's gonna be fun. I think we're about to watch a guy who has ... one of the all-time great seasons. It's gonna be a blast to watch from May 15 to the end of the year."

In March, Votto gave the Reds the gift of a clock that stands on Crosley Terrace, just outside the main entrance of Great American Ball Park.

Votto appeared on "The Jim Day Podcast" in February to discuss his job as MLB analyst for NBC and Peacock for the 2026 season.