fullscreen

eFinder

eFinder

Home › MLB Roster Rules and Player Status › Article

Dave Roberts defends Ohtani two-way rule amid Craig Counsell’s ‘bizarre’ complaint

Nypost · · 398 words · By Jack Harris
MLB Roster Rules and Player Status
headphones Listen to the eFinder podcast briefing
Generate a natural audio summary of this story
Daily briefing

What to know about MLB Roster Rules and Player Status

The Dodgers and Chicago Cubs don’t play for the first time this season until a three-game series this weekend.

Claims checked 12
Techniques found 1
Topics 1

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage
Left0%
Center75%
Right25%

4 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

The Dodgers and Chicago Cubs don’t play for the first time this season until a three-game series this weekend.

Why it matters

But on Monday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell already had the Dodgers top of mind.

Common ground

Responding to a question about MLB rules that limit teams to carrying only 13 pitchers on their active roster, Counsell took a jab at the Dodgers and four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani –– calling a quirk in the rules that allows Ohtani to not count against that…

Perspective signals

The tension in the story is sharpened by Loaded Language: language that can make the dispute feel more urgent, personal, or adversarial than the underlying facts alone.

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/04/21/sports/dave-roberts-defends-ohtani-two-way-rule-af…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 1 propaganda technique in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning
Loaded Language 60% confidence
Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.
Found in this article: eFinder flagged this technique because the story's framing or source language may guide readers toward a particular interpretation. Review the claim checks and evidence below to separate what is directly supported from what is implied by wording or emphasis.
Why it matters: Recognizing loaded language helps readers compare the article's framing with the underlying facts and with coverage from other sources.

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 12 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

check_circle Corroborated 4
info Single Source 4
help Insufficient Evidence 2
schedule Pending 2
help
Claim 1: ““We’re more than willing for other teams to go out and find a player who can do both,” he added, sharply. “He’s an exception because he’s an exceptional player. It is what it is.””
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries to support or refute the claim that Dave Roberts told other teams to look for two-way players.
help
Claim 2: “There aren’t, of course, any other players out there who can do both –– at least nowhere near the MVP-caliber level Ohtani has repeatedly shown he can.”
INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE
No evidence was found in the provided search results or Wikipedia entries to support or refute the claim that no other players exist at Ohtani's MVP-caliber level.
check_circle
Claim 3: “Responding to a question about MLB rules that limit teams to carrying only 13 pitchers on their active roster, Counsell took a jab at the Dodgers and four-time MVP Shohei Ohtani –– calling a quirk in the rules that allows Ohtani to not count against that 13-pitcher maximum, thanks to his two-way status, “bizarre” in an apparently unsolicited critique.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Counsell criticized the MLB rule regarding Ohtani's status, calling it 'bizarre' and noting the special consideration for the Dodgers.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Major League Baseball season (MLB) began on March 20–21 with a two-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres held in Seoul, South Korea, before the regular season p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Major_League_Baseball_sea…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 National League Division Series (NLDS) were the two best-of-five playoff series in Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2025 postseason to determine the participating teams of the 2025 National Leag…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_National_League_Division_…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — MLB Tokyo Series 2025 was a two-game Major League Baseball (MLB) series between the Los Angeles Dodgers, the defending 2024 World Series champions, and the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Japan, at the Tokyo D…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MLB_Tokyo_Series_2025
+ 3 more evidence sources
schedule
Claim 4: “After all, that roster flexibility was one of the many, many reasons they were ecstatic to get Ohtani.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
info
Claim 5: “This season, they have been able to field a six-man starting rotation while still operating with a customary eight relievers in the bullpen.”
SINGLE SOURCE
Two web search results discuss the Dodgers' rotation plans and the possibility of a six-man rotation, but none confirm that they *were* able to field a six-man rotation *while* maintaining eight relievers this season. The evidence is suggestive but not definitively confirmed by multiple sources.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — The Dodgers' 2025 campaign began with a rotation many considered among the league's best. Snell, a two-time Cy Young winner, and Glasnow, fresh off a 3.49 ERA season and 168 strikeouts in 134 ...
https://dodgerblue.com/patchwork-rotation-how-the-dodgers-ar…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — With Yoshinobu Yamamoto set to start opening day for the Dodgers, the team reveals its pitching plans for the rest of the rotation over the first homestand.
https://www.latimes.com/sports/dodgers/story/2026-03-23/dodg…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Blake Snell, pitching deep & the Dodgers' 6-man rotation Snell wants to pitch deeper into games, plus a look at how it might work once LA uses six starting pitchers.
https://www.truebluela.com/2025/2/13/24364312/blake-snell-do…
check_circle
Claim 6: ““The thing is, it certainly benefits us, because we have the player,” he said. “But that’s something that, any team that had Ohtani would have that player.””
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results attribute statements to Dave Roberts indicating that any team possessing Ohtani would benefit from him.
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and Mookie Betts believe Shohei Ohtani will benefit from his newfound dad strength.
https://dodgerblue.com/dodgers-mookie-betts-dave-roberts-bel…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Last season, Los Angeles Dodgers' Shohei Ohtani returned to pitching after sitting out all of 2024, gradually building up his workload and eventually throwing six innings late in the 2025 MLB ...
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/mlb/dodgers-shohei-ohtani-g…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Dodgers manager Dave Roberts emphasizes Shohei Ohtani's commitment to improvement, driven for the benefit of the team.
https://dodgersnation.com/dave-roberts-loves-shohei-ohtanis-…
schedule
Claim 7: “And this weekend, they will try to use it to their advantage, when Counsell and the Cubs come to town starting on Friday.”
PENDING
This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.
check_circle
Claim 8: ““It’s a rule to help offense, I think, more than anything, if you ask me,” Counsell said of the rule generally, according to the Associated Press, before singling out the Dodgers: “And then there’s one team that’s allowed to carry basically one of both, and that he gets special consideration. Which is probably the most bizarre rule.””
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results quote Counsell stating that the special consideration for Ohtani was 'probably the most bizarre rule.'
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — Chicago Cubs manager Craig Counsell thinks that a Major League Baseball rule that allows the Los Angeles Dodgers to carry 14 pitchers because of Shohei Ohtani is "bizarre," adding that the ...
https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/48545156/mlb-rule-place-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — And then there's one team that's allowed to carry basically one of both, and he gets special consideration, which is probably the most bizarre rule. For one team."
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7214140/2026/04/20/dodgers-…
travel_explore
web search NEUTRAL — CHICAGO (AP) — Cubs manager Craig Counsell thinks a Major League Baseball rule that allows the Los Angeles Dodgers to carry 14 pitchers because of Shohei Ohtani is "bizarre." Major league teams are al…
https://apnews.com/article/shohei-ohtani-counsell-cubs-dodge…
info
Claim 9: “Undoubtedly, the Dodgers gain an advantage thanks to Ohtani’s two-way status (which is granted to players who have pitched at least 20 innings and started at least 20 games as a hitter at any point in the last two years).”
SINGLE SOURCE
One web search result provides the specific criteria (pitched 20 innings and started 20 games as a hitter) for Ohtani's two-way status. While Wikipedia mentions Ohtani's status, it does not contain this precise definition. The evidence is not corroborated by multiple sources stating this exact rule.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — In Major League Baseball (MLB), the 20–50 club is a group of players who exhibit a combination of speed with power by hitting 20 home runs and stealing 50 bases in the same season. The feat has been a…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/20–50_club
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Ippei Mizuhara (水原一平, Mizuhara Ippei; born December 31, 1984) is a Japanese interpreter. Mizuhara served as the interpreter for Major League Baseball player Shohei Ohtani, translating Japanese to Eng…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ippei_Mizuhara
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Shohei Ohtani (born July 5, 1994) is a Japanese professional baseball designated hitter and pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). Nicknamed "Shotime", he has previously p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shohei_Ohtani
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 10: “The Dodgers and Chicago Cubs don’t play for the first time this season until a three-game series this weekend.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence includes a Wikipedia entry mentioning an 'MLB Tokyo Series 2025' between the Dodgers and Cubs, suggesting a future series. However, the web search results do not confirm a specific three-game series happening 'this weekend' for the current context. The evidence is too limited to corroborate a specific upcoming schedule.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2016 Chicago Cubs season was the 145th season of the Chicago Cubs franchise, the 141st season in the National League and the Cubs' 101st season at Wrigley Field. The Cubs were managed by Joe Maddo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Chicago_Cubs_season
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Iván Alvarez DeJesús (born January 9, 1953) is a Puerto Rican former professional baseball shortstop and coach, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, Phi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iván_DeJesús
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — MLB Tokyo Series 2025 was a two-game Major League Baseball (MLB) series between the Los Angeles Dodgers, the defending 2024 World Series champions, and the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Japan, at the Tokyo D…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MLB_Tokyo_Series_2025
+ 3 more evidence sources
check_circle
Claim 11: “On Monday, Cubs manager Craig Counsell already had the Dodgers top of mind.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple web search results confirm that Cubs manager Craig Counsell referenced the Dodgers on Monday during a media briefing, specifically regarding the Ohtani rule.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2000 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 111th for the franchise in Major League Baseball, and their 43rd season in Los Angeles, California. In 2000, the team set a club record for home runs with 2…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2000_Los_Angeles_Dodgers_seaso…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Major League Baseball season (MLB) began on March 20–21 with a two-game series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres held in Seoul, South Korea, before the regular season p…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Major_League_Baseball_sea…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The following is a franchise history of the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball, a charter member of the National League who started play in the National Association of Base Ball Players in 1870 as …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_Chicago_Cubs
+ 3 more evidence sources
info
Claim 12: “When informed of Counsell’s remarks Monday night, however, that didn’t mean manager Dave Roberts felt any sympathy.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The evidence confirms that Roberts and Counsell discussed each other's value and contracts, but none of the provided snippets explicitly state that Roberts 'did not feel any sympathy' regarding Counsell's remarks. The context is related but the specific emotional claim is not directly supported.
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Major League Baseball (MLB) is the highest level of play in North American professional baseball and is the organization that operates the National League and the American League. In 2000, the two lea…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_…
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — Patrick Thomas Murphy (born November 28, 1958) is an American professional baseball manager and former coach who is the manager for the Milwaukee Brewers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Murphy_(baseball_manager)
menu_book
wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Sporting News Manager of the Year Award was established in 1936 by The Sporting News (formerly Sporting News from 2002 to 2022) and was given annually to one manager in Major League Baseball. In 1…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sporting_News_Manager_of_t…
+ 3 more evidence sources
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.