Could Shohei Ohtani Miss the Rest of the Postseason?

You said the key decision for them is coming tomorrow, where I think that, I mean, I don't know. I mean, is it possible that Shohei Ohtani is done for the rest of the series in the World Series? Because if they kick him off the roster, so to speak, Joe, then he would not be able to play in the World Series if the Dodgers get there. But down 0-2, I don't know if there's another option for him at this point. He looks completely lost at the plate. Got to make that decision. Well, and it comes down to it. Is he hurt? Is he not? I mean, it's not like they've ever been forthcoming with what's going on with him. Don't forget, we were in August covering this team, and Dave Roberts was looking everyone in the face and telling them, we fully expect him to be pitching and coming. No. There's obviously, where there was smoke, there was fire here. But how much of it is injury-related? Could it be something else? But are we really thinking Dave Roberts is going to make that kind of change now? I mean, is a 50% Ohtani better than anything that he's got on that bench that he would think about replacing him with, like you said, the rest of the postseason? Well, look, one option would be to sit him down, but at that point, would he be a pinch hitter? Would you even use him in that spot? Look, I don't know, and he's like the most mysterious player in baseball, as we know, so my guess is, just guessing, is they go back to L.A. and they have him looked at again and see where he's at. But I have a suspicion here, Joe, that we've seen the last of him play. I do. I think that there's got to be something seriously wrong for him to look as lost as he is swinging at pitches that are so far out. And so the answer kind of is yes. If the Dodgers feel they have anybody better than somebody who's really hurt, then they take them off the roster. And then, you know, the other thing that the Dodgers could have done is if this series went a different way, they could just sit them for a few days. And then if they get to the World Series, start them back up in a week. But that's not an option. If the Dodgers lose the next game, the Dodgers are not winning the NLCS. They're not winning four games in a row. They easily could win three games in a row right now and take a lead. But once you're down 0-3 in sports, once every decade or so, some team does it and we're talking about them. I don't know that the Dodgers are that team. Got to win the next game. Well, and certainly, you know, Will Smith hitting now, that's another problem coupled with the fact that what are you going to do to Ohtani? You're going to drop him down in the order? Yeah, I'm just I find it fascinating that if it's truly an injury related, that they would have let it linger on for the I mean, they could not be that cocky enough to think that, well, we'll just keep them on a roster and keep our finger. We're going to blow through everyone here and give them some time off. Like if it really is injury related, are you doing yourself any favor by rolling him out there and risking even more injury? I think it's fascinating to me the way they've handled the whole situation. Yeah, well, look, he clearly was not hurt or not healthy last series. It's obvious that he's just not the same. But I think that there is the level of cachet with Shohei Ohtani, as you said, that if you think he's 50% or 60% and maybe there's a chance of getting better, you put him out there. But now with their backs against the wall and they're playing essentially a man short because I don't think there's any scenario he plays in the next game. and so it's just a matter of do they send him out on the, I guess, IL or whatever it is and then deem him out for the rest of the way. I mean, Joe, I think that's a possibility. I think they have to entertain that possibility. You can't have, like, a zero in the lineup, and also you can't have a player, you know, of his degree just go out there and play when he's not even close to 100%. I suspect that we're going to hear something about, like, a surgery or some kind after the season. I mean, that's the way to me that this is going. I'm guessing Ohtani got with the Dodgers and said look i'm healthy enough to play but now at this point you know he wanted to pitch he wanted to win the Cy Young he wanted to come back he wanted to play now the Dodgers have to step in and say okay you know enough's enough like with all due respect 700 million we get it we're down 0-2 you know like we're not in a position to play around anymore like we were uh unfortunately that would have him out for the World Series i know people are laughing at home going World Series i mean they're down 0-2 it is not over at all Until the home team loses in sports, it ain't over. Dodgers could easily win the next one, lose the next one after that, win the next one after that, and go back to Milwaukee. You never know how these series could go. But I suspect Joe, he's finished.