Dave Roberts encouraged by Shohei Ohtani in return

Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Dodgers' Dave Roberts encouraged by Shohei Ohtani in return

By Ernesto Cova | Last updated Sep 24, 2026 10:04 AM ET

The Los Angeles Dodgers are closing out yet another dominant regular season as the team to beat in the National League.

Even in a 5-1 home loss to the San Diego Padres, Dave Roberts' team got some great news with the playoffs just around the corner.

The Dodgers had Japanese superstar Shohei Ohtani back on the field for the first time in weeks. He's dealt with multiple injuries this season, but he's trending toward being available when it matters the most.

Following the loss, Roberts shared his thoughts on Ohtani's performance. While the numbers weren't particularly impressive, he liked the intangibles.

Dave Roberts raves about Shohei Ohtani's return

“He looked good,” Roberts said. “At-bat quality was good. There wasn’t any chase. He hit the ball hard, just missed a homer. It’s been a while since he played. It felt like he wasn’t sped up at all.”

"He (Ohtani) looked good, at-bat quality good... It's been a while since he played in a game. It just felt like he wasn't sped up at all. I think he came out of it pretty well."

Dave Roberts addresses the media after the #Dodgers 5-1 loss to the Padres. pic.twitter.com/y9wdF50TDI
— SportsNet LA (@SportsNetLA) September 24, 2026

Ohtani, who was at one point both an NL Cy Young and MVP candidate, finished the game with one single, one walk and a couple of strikeouts in five plate appearances.

The Japanese phenom had been struggling with his swing before his injury layoff. He was clearly struggling with discomfort and was compensating in a way that wasn't helping him at the plate.

This wasn't the case on Wednesday, even in a somewhat quiet night.

“I think if you look back at the last couple weeks when he was active, he wasn’t really getting to that pitch,” Roberts said. “Tonight showed that he’s in a good spot physically.”

The top-seeded Dodgers can use the final four regular-season games as a tune-up to get Ohtani back to speed for when it actually counts.

Ohtani is back, and even if he's not fully healthy or at the peak of his powers, that's always a scary sight for whoever is on the other side of the field.

Ernesto Cova

Ernesto is a bilingual (English-Spanish) sports writer with over eight years of experience covering major leagues such as the NBA, NFL, and MLB. Ernesto’s work focuses on providing insightful, up-to-date coverage of sports, blending his expertise in sports psychology with a passion for analyzing player performance, team dynamics, and trade developments across various sports leagues

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