Struggling Shohei Ohtani won’t hit on one of Wednesday or Thursday

TL;DR

Shohei Ohtani will not hit in one of the upcoming games against the Giants, but the Dodgers have not decided whether it will be Wednesday or Thursday. He is currently struggling at the plate, with a significant power drought since his last home run on April 26.

Key points

Shohei Ohtani will not hit in one of the next two games.
Dodgers manager has not decided which game Ohtani will sit out.
Ohtani has not homered since April 26, experiencing a power drought.

Shohei OhtaniLos Angeles DodgersSan Francisco GiantsChicago Cubs

May 11, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers two-way player Shohei Ohtani (17) waves to fans as he runs through the dugout after taking live batting practice prior to the game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images | Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani won’t hit in one of the final two games against the San Francisco Giants this week, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts hasn’t yet decided if that will be on Wednesday when Ohtani pitches or on Thursday for what would amount to a mental reset day for the slumping superstar. When to give Ohtani any sort of rest has been an interesting puzzle to solve as he’s back to being a full-time two-way player for the first time since 2023. He didn’t hit in three of his first six pitching starts, including his previous two times on the mound. But he has played in all 41 games in one way or another. “One of those days he’s not going to hit, I haven’t decided,” Roberts said Monday night. “But on top of that, given what we’re asking of him on the pitching side, it’s a fair question.” When Shohei Ohtani last homered, on April 26 against the Chicago Cubs, he snapped a string of 59 consecutive plate appearances without a long ball, his longest power drought since joining the Dodgers. Since then, Ohtani has gone 51 plate appearances and 13 full games since, his second-longest skid with the team. He was hitless in five at-bats with a pair of strikeouts , and since that last home run has seven hits in 43 at-bats, hitting .163/.294/.209 with seven walks and 12 strikeouts. That dropped his season line to .233/.363/.404, which is a 114 wRC+, but with an isolated power (.171) 75 points lower than any of his previous five seasons. “Even early on [in the season] when he wasn’t hitting, he was still taking walks and getting on base,” Roberts said. “Tonight was a classic example, I think he’s just trying to swing out of it, that’s just so apparent. A lot of hitters, when their scuffling, they want to swing out of it, and tonight was one of those nights.”

Q&A

Why won't Shohei Ohtani hit in one of the games against the Giants?

Ohtani will not hit in one of the games as part of a strategy to manage his performance and provide a mental reset amid his recent struggles.

When did Shohei Ohtani last hit a home run?

Ohtani last homered on April 26 against the Chicago Cubs, marking a power drought of 59 plate appearances since then.

What are Shohei Ohtani's current batting statistics?

Ohtani's current batting line is .233/.363/.404, with a wRC+ of 114 and an isolated power of .171, which is significantly lower than in previous seasons.

Struggling Shohei Ohtani won’t hit on one of Wednesday or Thursday

TL;DR

Key points

Q&A

Related Articles

Door opens for Liverpool to complete unbelievable Jude Bellingham deal

5 things to know about new Chargers TE David Njoku

Everybody is saying the same thing about the Mets after blockbuster MLB trade over the weekend.

Yankees’ Cam Schlittler is the best pitcher in baseball, and this stat only confirms it

Aaron Judge is only 36 home runs away from doing something that no one in MLB history has ever accomplished

Jose Mourinho addresses future amid growing Real Madrid links: ‘From the moment…’

More from Sports