Dodgers move Ohtani to fifth for Game 3 against Braves
The reported lineup change swaps Shohei Ohtani with Teoscar Hernández ahead of Los Angeles’ matchup with Chris Sale.
The Los Angeles Dodgers have reportedly moved Shohei Ohtani to fifth in the batting order for Game 3 of the National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves. Teoscar Hernández moves to second.
Fox Sports reports the change follows a difficult stretch at the plate for Ohtani: he collected eight hits and batted .211 over his previous 10 games.
The report also cites Ohtani’s results against Braves starter Chris Sale. In 15 career plate appearances against the left-hander, Ohtani is 3-for-15 with five strikeouts and a .517 OPS, according to Fox Sports.
Ohtani was placed on the injured list in September with left knee and right biceps issues and was activated before the postseason. The supplied report does not establish those injuries as the reason for the batting-order change.
The reported top five are Mookie Betts, Hernández, Freddie Freeman, Will Smith and Ohtani.
