Dodgers expect a healthier Shohei Ohtani for Game 1 of the NLDS

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Harris, B. (2026, September 30). Dodgers expect a healthier Shohei Ohtani for Game 1 of the NLDS. Toronto Star. https://www.thestar.com/sports/baseball/dodgers-expect-a-healthier-shohei-ohtani-for-game-1-of-the-nlds/article_b1cb6720-29d7-5cd3-8c3c-6845b14400bf.html

Dated when The Aporia collected the article, usually within hours of publication. Check the original for its exact date and byline.

Toronto Star · collected 2026-09-30 · by Beth Harris

Quick Summary

The Los Angeles Dodgers anticipate Shohei Ohtani will be healthier and more effective for Game 1 of their National League Division Series on Saturday at Dodger Stadium. Despite playing through nagging right biceps and left knee issues during his final five regular-season games, where he went 5 for 21 with an extra-base hit but also struck out eight times, Ohtani now has five days to rest and improve his hitting form before the playoffs start. General Manager Brandon Gomes and manager Dave Roberts both expressed optimism about Ohtani's physical condition and readiness for the series, noting that he is in a "great spot" physically and should perform well given recent improvements.

Written by AI on 2026-10-02, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

The Los Angeles Dodgers expect their two-way star player Shohei Ohtani to be healthier and more effective for Game 1 of the National League Division Series against Trajekt at Dodger Stadium this Saturday. Despite spending two weeks on the injured list due to issues with his right biceps and left knee, Ohtani played in the final five games of the regular season. Over these games, he had a batting average of .238 with eight strikeouts and one walk over 21 at-bats. General manager Brandon Gomes noted that Ohtani is now feeling physically better and has used the extra rest to refine his hitting technique ahead of the postseason series. In the regular season, despite injuries limiting him as a pitcher, Ohtani had an impressive .889 OPS with a team-high 30 home runs while batting at a .275 average. His recent offensive struggles, which saw him hit just .198 and strike out 34 times in his last 24 games before going on the IL, have now improved significantly according to Gomes.

Written for “Dodgers Ohtani NLDS Expectations” on 2026-11-02, grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Dodgers Ohtani NLDS Expectations

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Uncertain

1 of 16 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")

Leaning

not political

takes no side on a contested political question

Publisher signals

64/100

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Who wrote this

Beth Harris

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Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.

All 41 articles by Beth Harris →

Topics

Game 1 LOS ANGELES The Los Angeles Dodgers Trajekt the National League Division Series

Subjects

Ohtani PERSON · 4× Brandon Gomes PERSON · 1× Dave Roberts PERSON · 1× LOS ANGELES GPE · 1× Roberts PERSON · 1× Shohei PERSON · 1× Shohei Ohtani PERSON · 1× The Los Angeles Dodgers ORG · 1×

Narrative

Ohtani hit .275 with an .889 OPS and a team-high 30 home runs in the regular season despite injuries that curtailed his pitching and a slump at the plate that knocked him out of contention for a fifth MVP award.

framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-09-30

🔮 So yeah, number one, he’ll be a threat being in the lineup, but I do think that the performance piece will be what we’re hoping for.”

2026-09-30 · Toronto Star

Dodgers expect a healthier Shohei Ohtani for Game 1 of the NLDS · assertive framing

Claims (16 extracted, 1 hedged)

The Los Angeles Dodgers expect a healthier Shohei Ohtani at the top of their lineup for the postseason. asserted

Dodgers → expect → postseason

The two-way superstar played in the final five games of the regular season after coming off a two-week stint on the injured list with nagging right biceps and left knee issues. asserted

superstar → play → issues

With five days off leading up to Game 1 of the National League Division Series at Dodger Stadium on Saturday, Ohtani has time to rest and refine his hitting stroke. asserted

Ohtani → lead → stroke

He went 5 for 21 with an extra-base hit, eight strikeouts and a walk over the final five games. asserted

He → go → games

“Everything is feeling great physically,” general manager Brandon Gomes said Tuesday. asserted

Gomes → feel → ?

“The swings, once he came back, overall were in a good place, and using these five days to continue to get reps and feeling good into this series is really important. asserted

using → come → series

But feels like he’s in a great spot.” asserted

he → feel → spot

that → hit → award

During his offensive skid, Ohtani batted .198 with 34 strikeouts in 24 games before going on the IL. asserted

Ohtani → bat → IL

“I feel confident that you’re going to see the best version of Shohei of the last two months,” manager Dave Roberts said. asserted

Roberts → feel → months

“I know that’s sort of a low bar given his injury, but I do think that he’s as healthy as he’s been in quite some time. asserted

he → know → time

Every day from the training staff, it keeps getting better. asserted

it → keep → staff

So yeah, number one, he’ll be a threat being in the lineup, but I do think that the performance piece will be what we’re hoping for.” asserted

we → think → what

Roberts wants to see Ohtani take a handful of live at-bats and hit off the Trajekt machine this week. asserted

Ohtani → want → machine

“He did everything he could to manage it, all the while being somewhat compromised,” the manager said. uncertain

manager → do → it

“I think that he’s going to be as healthy and feel as good as he’s felt.” asserted

he → think → ?

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