Dodgers Coach Gets Brutally Honest on Shohei Ohtani's Offensive Struggles
As the MLB season moves forward, one of the bigger storylines around the Los Angeles Dodgers will be figuring out how to fix two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani's struggles at the plate.
Ohtani, normally one of the best hitters in baseball, hasn't gotten going this year, and it has impacted the overall offensive production of Los Angeles.
Not all of the offensive problems for the Dodgers come back to Ohtani, but it's certainly part of the issue. Overall, Ohtani has hit .240 with seven home runs and 17 runs batted in, while putting up an OPS of .797.
The Dodgers have tried to navigate his slump by giving him extra rest by not hitting on his pitching days. But to this point, nothing has been able to break the two-way star out of his slump.
Dodgers hitting coach Robert Van Scoyoc weighed in on the issues at the plate for Ohtani, breaking down what the team is seeing amid this slump.
"He's missing pitches he's used to hitting," Van Scoyoc said. "That's the easiest way to put it. There are a lot of pitches that he normally cashes in that he's missing."
One positive that the Dodgers can take is that Ohtani finally broke his long home run drought on Tuesday against the San Francisco Giants. This was his first home run since April 26, but the team is still looking for ways to help him keep this type of performance consistent.
Shohei Ohtani is starting to look like himself again.
- Noah Camras (@noahcamras) May 13, 2026
He hit a single in his first at-bat. He then hit a home run in his second at-bat - his seventh of the year.
Ohtani hit it 105.9 mph to the opposite field. That is an incredible sign for the Dodgers.pic.twitter.com/orCcqhsElN
The Dodgers are hoping that by giving Ohtani more "reset" days, he could get back to his normal, dominant self at the plate.
"It's probably more mechanical," Van Scoyoc said. "The swing is not where it's at normally. He's used to cashing in on mistake pitches, and he's missing them."
Part of the problem with Ohtani's hitting issues could be general fatigue. The Dodgers have played in multiple long playoff runs over the last few years - with two straight shortened offseasons - and Ohtani has never played this much in his career.
This tends to happen with teams after they win championships, and it could be what is going on with the four-time MVP. He, unlike anyone else in baseball, is also taking on a two-way workload.
Ohtani is far too talented for this to continue over the course of the season, so Los Angeles will continue to tweak things until they figure it out with him.
On the flip side, Ohtani has been excellent on the mound, earning early placement in the National League Cy Young award conversations. Ohtani has made six starts for Los Angeles, registering an ERA of 0.97 over 37 innings of work.
However, if the Dodgers are going to make a run at a three-peat this year, Ohtani will need to be the offensive powerhouse at the top of the lineup. And the scary thought for other teams around the league is that whenever he does, this team could take off.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/mlb/dodgers/onsi as Dodgers Coach Gets Brutally Honest on Shohei Ohtani's Offensive Struggles.
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This story was originally published May 13, 2026 at 9:00 PM.