Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani Shares Admission on Dave Roberts' DH Decision

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Joey Mistretta | Last updated Apr 29, 2026 10:18 AM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers have decided that Shohei Ohtani will not hit on some days when he pitches this season. There will still be times when he does both on the same day, but there will be outings where Ohtani is only a pitcher and not the designated hitter.

"His goal is to make every start, and with that, there has to be some compromise," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said of the decision on Tuesday, via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.

Ohtani was limited to pitching duties in Tuesday's game against the Miami Marlins. The Dodgers star allowed two runs (one earned) across six innings on the mound while striking out nine hitters. The offense did not give him much run support in a 2-1 defeat.

After the game, Ohtani commented on Roberts' DH decision, via Fredo Cervantes of The Sporting Tribune.

"I'm going to prepare the best that I can with whatever the team expects is the best for me and for the team," Ohtani said via interpreter. "... I think for players who wanna do two-way and if they wanna DH, they should get the option to do DH. At the same time, it’s hard to tell now, we’ll see how it goes at the end of the season."

Shohei Ohtani discussed his first loss of the season and also shared some thoughts on whether he would like to hit on days he pitches.

“I think for players who wanna do two-way and if they wanna DH, they should get the option to do DH,” Ohtani said. “At the same time, it’s hard… pic.twitter.com/oKCuKM5U8r
— Fredo Cervantes (@FredoCervantes) April 29, 2026

Shohei Ohtani's DH Situation With Dodgers

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17)© Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Dodgers are in a difficult position. There are not many teams throughout the history of the sport that have had this decision to make. Of course, it is a good problem to have, as there are not many teams that have had two-way superstars on the roster.

LA wants to keep Ohtani happy. The team also wants to do everything they can to keep him healthy. The Dodgers and Ohtani would like for Ohtani to consistently start games throughout the 2026 campaign in a six-man rotation. Roberts and the team clearly feel that giving Ohtani some pitching-only days will help him accomplish that feat for the full 162-game campaign.

Ohtani is seemingly open to the idea. While he said he believes two-way players should get the option to DH, he wants to do whatever is best for the team.

It will be an interesting situation to follow. The good news is there will still be nights where fans can watch Ohtani pitch and hit in the same game. It just will not be every single time.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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