But his team is hopeful he will be able to play in the postseason.
asserted
he → play → postseason
But this isn’t about Shohei Ohtani; it’s about Aaron Judge.
asserted
it → ’ → Judge
The Los Angeles Dodgers will head into the playoffs this year considerably more unsettled than usual: Ohtani has problems with his right arm and left knee; the bullpen is a mess; the inconsistent offense has started hitting — but against awful teams.
asserted
offense → head → teams
Which makes them like pretty much every other contender.
asserted
them → make → contender
Every postseason-bound team is banged up or has something wrong, starting with the Dodgers’ potential World Series opponents, the New York Yankees.
asserted
team → bind → opponents
The Yankees spent the majority of the summer without Judge, who barely hit in the six games he played after he was activated from the injured list earlier this month.
asserted
he → spend → list
Judge is now back on the IL with a calf strain and the team isn’t making any promises about how much he’ll play in October, if at all.
asserted
he → make → October
“We’re going to get him back, or we’re not,” Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters.
asserted
Boone → go → reporters
“That’s what we’re going to work to do, and we’ll see.
asserted
we → ’ → what
As the likely No. 2 seed in the National League, the Dodgers are expected to earn a first-round bye in the playoffs.
asserted
Dodgers → expect → playoffs
They are lined up to take on the No. 3 seed Atlanta Braves or one of the three wild-card teams in the divisional round — potentially the Philadelphia Phillies, San Diego Padres or Chicago Cubs.
asserted
They → line → round
Every one of their NLDS opponents have their own problems.
asserted
one → have → problems
With former All-Star Spencer Strider sidelined with elbow problems, the Braves don’t have much starting pitching outside of Chris Sale.
asserted
Braves → sideline → Sale
The Braves had a deal in place to acquire Jacob deGrom from the Texas Rangers at the trade deadline, but the two-time Cy Young Award winner invoked the no-trade provision in his contract and blocked the exchange.
asserted
winner → have → exchange
DeGrom’s decision might have decided the fate of the Braves, who ended up with Tyler Mahle as their only midseason starting pitching acquisition.
uncertain
who → decide → acquisition
Mahle has outpitched expectations since his move from the San Francisco Giants, but he didn’t have a season earned-run average of under four until last week.
asserted
he → outpitche → week
If there was a rotation that figured to give the Dodgers trouble, it was the Phillies’, which included two electric left-handers in Jesús Luzardo and Cristopher Sanchez.
asserted
which → be → Luzardo
But Luzardo is now on the IL with shoulder inflammation and Sanchez has a 4.70 ERA over his last six starts.
asserted
Sanchez → have → starts
The Phillies also have issues in their bullpen, as they have encountered more and more difficulty getting the ball into hands of closer Jhoan Duran.
asserted
they → have → Duran
Setup man Jonathan Bowlan has been particularly atrocious this month, posting a 6.75 ERA and allowing runs in five of his seven appearances.
asserted
Bowlan → post → appearances
With Mason Miller as their closer, the Padres have one of the best bullpens in baseball.
asserted
Padres → have → baseball
The Padres don’t blow many late-game leads, but can they build one against competent opposition in the postseason?
asserted
they → blow → postseason
They have Michael King in their rotation, followed by Nick Pivetta, who has started only seven games this season because of elbow problems; followed by Casey Mize, who has a 6.64 ERA since the Padres acquired him from the Tigers; followed by Robbie Rays, who has a 5.52 ERA since his move from the Giants.
asserted
who → have → Giants
At least the Padres have a No. 1 starter.
asserted
Padres → have → starter
The Cubs have the best player in baseball this season in Pete Crow-Armstrong, but they might have to send Clay Holmes to the mound in their postseason opener.
uncertain
they → have → opener
Acquired at the trade deadline from the New York Mets, Holmes has a 4.26 ERA in eight starts for the Cubs.
asserted
Holmes → acquire → Cubs
That’s still better than the team’s other trade-deadline prize, Kevin Gausman, who was bad for the Blue Jays and now even worse for the Cubs.
asserted
who → ’ → Cubs
The Cubs could have an even greater problem now: Third baseman Alex Bregman was struck in the face with a foul ball standing in the on-deck circle Sunday.
uncertain
Bregman → have → circle
He was sent to a nearby hospital for X-rays and a CT scan, according to multiple reports.
uncertain
He → send → reports
The Brewers have the best record in the major leagues, but they don’t look invincible, either.
asserted
they → have → leagues
Their recent postseason record indicates their teams are also better-suited for the regular season.
asserted
teams → indicate → season
Case in point: They were swept by the Dodgers in the NL Championship Series last year.
asserted
They → sweep → Series
None of this makes the Dodgers’ concerns less real.
asserted
concerns → make → this
The reality is they don’t know what Ohtani will be able to give them in October.
asserted
Ohtani → know → October
They have to keep a close eye on Blake Snell after he departed his most recent start after one inning.
asserted
he → have → inning
And they still have to figure out who they have and don’t have in their bullpen.
asserted
they → have → bullpen
The Aporia
