Shohei Ohtani went 1 for 4 with a walk after returning from the 15-day injured list, but the Dodgers lost 5-1 to the Padres and missed a chance to clinch a first-round bye. He struck out in the fourth with two outs and the bases loaded after a review overturned a ball call.
The Dodgers activated Ohtani before the game and optioned rookie Josue De Paula to Triple-A Oklahoma City; De Paula remained under consideration for the Dodgers’ National League Division Series roster as a bench bat. Manager Dave Roberts said Ohtani was part of the postseason roster conversation.
Before the game, president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said that with five games to go, the priority was giving Ohtani at-bats to rebuild his rhythm and timing. He said Ohtani could get a day off depending on how he felt. Before going on the injured list, Ohtani hit .130 over three weeks and had two hits in his final seven games (26 at-bats).
