"Shohei the Batter" is more valuable than "Ohtani the Pitcher"? The Dodgers manager gives the answer

The Dodgers played the Phillies away today, and the game started 1 hour and 20 minutes late because of a rain delay, ultimately ending in a thrilling 2-1 win that stopped their two-game slide. During pregame interviews, manager Dave Roberts fielded another question about Shohei Ohtani's "two-way" positioning. Roberts admitted that, given the current roster, "Shohei the Batter" is even more valuable at this stage than "Ohtani the Pitcher," so the team is in no rush to have him return to a full starting rotation role.

After joining the Dodgers in 2024, Ohtani served exclusively as the designated hitter in his first season due to right elbow surgery. Yet he still achieved an unprecedented "50 home runs, 50 stolen bases" record in Major League Baseball, won the National League home run and RBI titles, and earned his third career MVP award. Last season, he gradually returned to two-way play, using official games for rehab pitching. Despite pitching with restrictions, he made 14 starts, while offensively hitting a career-high 55 home runs and driving in 102 runs.

Before the game, a reporter asked whether he believed that "Shohei the Batter" currently holds more value than "Ohtani the Pitcher." Roberts answered without hesitation, "Yes, you could say that."

Roberts further explained, "Given our current roster and the depth of our pitching staff, that's indeed the case. I truly believe so." He noted that the Dodgers have enough pitching depth, allowing them to be more flexible in scheduling Ohtani's pitching return timeline without rushing him back into the starting rotation. "Because of that, even if we delay his start by a week, two weeks, or even three weeks, it's not a big problem."

Roberts emphasized that what the team values most right now is Ohtani's daily impact on the lineup. "Just thinking about him stepping up to the plate four or five times every game and making a huge difference for our lineup every day—that's our top priority at the moment."