Ohtani’s Postseason Struggles Put Pressure on Dodgers’ Lineup Decisions as NLCS Returns to Los Angeles

The Dodgers are heading back to Los Angeles for Game 3 of the NLCS while a central question from this postseason has sharpened into something more practical: how much runway does Shohei Ohtani still have as his hitting slump continues? In an MLB breakdown published Tuesday, the focus was not just on whether Ohtani is underperforming, but on what that underperformance forces the Dodgers to consider when decisions get more direct and the margin for error shrinks.

The immediate framing is stark. MLB’s report raises the possibility of a Dodgers benching decision around a player of Ohtani’s profile, timed to the NLCS’s return to Dodger Stadium for Game 3. The question matters because Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and the coaching staff are typically built to protect their most capable lineup elements, especially in late-series leverage spots. When the debate reaches Ohtani, it indicates how badly the current form is affecting day-to-day planning.

What makes the situation more complicated is the contrast with the most obvious alternative discussed in the same report, Josue De Paula. MLB notes that De Paula is likely to be involved if the Dodgers turn toward a different look, and that his regular-season experience entering this stage is limited, with only 11 games played at that level. That detail matters, because it means the Dodgers would not just be swapping one bat for another, they would also be changing the experience profile, potentially altering how the team handles timing, at-bats, and late-inning matchup management.

Ohtani’s slump, as described by MLB, is also part of why the Dodgers face a question of “fixing it” quickly. In postseason baseball, slumps do not simply end because the calendar flips. The Dodgers still have to make decisions pitch by pitch, and each plate appearance becomes a referendum on whether the lineup can absorb off-form production without losing the ability to score in key innings. That is why the debate is reaching lineup construction, not just evaluation.

Even if the Dodgers ultimately keep their lineup intact, the report’s underlying theme is that Ohtani’s current stretch is now shaping the staff’s options. Coaches can manage a slump by simplifying reads, adjusting approach, and tightening situational plans, but those adjustments still depend on whether the hitter can translate them into results against postseason-caliber pitching. If the improvements are slow, the staff’s confidence in maintaining the status quo can erode.

At the same time, any move that changes a star’s role in an elimination-adjacent series carries its own risk. The Dodgers’ offense is designed to rely on their premier talent in the moments that most often decide NLCS outcomes. Bench decisions can protect the lineup, but they can also disrupt rhythm, invite skepticism, and shift pressure onto less proven alternatives in a high-visibility setting.

For now, the only certainty is the stakes: the NLCS does not wait for timing. Game 3 at Dodger Stadium will clarify whether the Dodgers treat Ohtani’s slump as something they can ride out with the best hitter in the sport, or whether they are willing to escalate to a more experimental lineup look with De Paula as the experience-light option. The next 72 hours will determine whether this was a necessary conversation that stays theoretical, or the opening salvo of a real adjustment.

Either outcome will shape how the rest of the series is managed. If Ohtani rebounds quickly, the Dodgers will be able to refocus on execution and leverage without questioning their core. If he does not, the report’s framing suggests the Dodgers could keep narrowing the margin until each subsequent at-bat becomes part of a broader strategic decision. That is what makes this Game 3 moment more than a lineup tweak, it is the point where evaluation turns into consequence.