Dodgers planning to give slumping Shohei Ohtani back-to-back days off as hitter

Nypost · May 12, 2026 · 888 words · By Jack Harris

Athlete performance analysis Workload Management

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What to know about Athlete performance analysis

How bad has Shohei Ohtani’s recent hitting slump gotten?

Claims checked 13

Techniques found 2

Topics 2

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center50%

Right50%

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

What happened

How bad has Shohei Ohtani’s recent hitting slump gotten?

Why it matters

Bad enough, that manager Dave Roberts said the two-way star might be out of the Dodgers’ lineup –– at least as a hitter –– the next two nights.

Common ground

While Ohtani was in the team’s Tuesday lineup as leadoff man and designated hitter, Roberts said the slugger would get the day off on Thursday, and that he was leaning toward only having him pitch in his scheduled Wednesday start on the mound, as well.

Perspective signals

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

Follow-up questions

What new context would change how readers understand this Athlete performance analysis story?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that the 31-year-old?
How does this story connect Athlete performance analysis with Workload Management over the next few days?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/12/sports/dodgers-plan-to-give-slumping-shohei-ohtani…

psychologyPropaganda Techniques Detected

eFinder identified 2 propaganda techniques in this article. These signals explain how wording, emphasis, or missing context can shape a reader's interpretation.

warning

Loaded Language 80% 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.

warning

Exaggeration / Hyperbole 70% confidence

Overstating facts or claims to create a stronger emotional response.

Why it matters: Recognizing exaggeration / hyperbole 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 13 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

info Single Source 4

check_circle Corroborated 3

schedule Pending 3

help Insufficient Evidence 2

verified Verified By Reference 1

verified

Claim 1: “the 31-year-old”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms Shohei Ohtani was born on July 5, 1994. As of the current date in the evidence (2025/2026 context), he is 30 or 31 years old.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 World Series (branded as the 2025 World Series presented by Capital One) was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2025 season. The 121st edition of the World Series, it wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_World_Series

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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

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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

help

Claim 2: “a four-time MVP coming off back-to-back 50-homer campaigns.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided in the search results to verify the number of MVPs or the specific home run counts for the last two campaigns.

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Claim 3: “he was leaning toward only having him pitch in his scheduled Wednesday start on the mound”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm Ohtani was scheduled to pitch on Wednesday but would not hit (e.g., Google News snippet and CBS Sports reporting on the Marlins game).

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 World Series (branded as the 2024 World Series presented by Capital One) was the championship series of Major League Baseball's (MLB) 2024 season. The 120th edition of the World Series, it wa…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_World_Series

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — LeBron Raymone James ( lə-BRON; born December 30, 1984) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed "King James", h…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeBron_James

+ 3 more evidence sources

help

Claim 4: “sporting an MLB-best 0.97 ERA in his first six starts.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was provided regarding Ohtani's ERA for his first six starts of the current season.

schedule

Claim 5: “his current .767 OPS, though still well above league average, is his lowest to this point of a season since 2022”

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 6: “He has batted just .200 over the last month overall.”

SINGLE SOURCE

Search results mention a slump and a .111 average in some contexts, but do not provide a specific monthly batting average of .200.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Shohei Ohtani is a Japanese professional baseball designated hitter and pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball.Ohtani ended his first major league season with a batting average o…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shohei_Ohtani

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — players › shohei-ohtaniShohei Ohtani - Stats - Batting | FanGraphs Baseball.
https://www.fangraphs.com/players/shohei-ohtani/19755/stats/…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Shohei Ohtani against the Astros. View More Videos.Los Angeles Dodgers activated TWP Shohei Ohtani from the paternity list. April 18, 2025.
https://www.mlb.com/player/shohei-ohtani-660271

schedule

Claim 7: “he was last a full-time two-way player with the Angels from 2021-2023.”

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 8: “Ohtani was in the team’s Tuesday lineup as leadoff man and designated hitter”

SINGLE SOURCE

While evidence confirms Ohtani is a DH and pitcher for the Dodgers, there is no specific evidence in the provided search results confirming he was the leadoff man in a specific Tuesday lineup.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2024 Los Angeles Dodgers season was the 135th season for the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB), their 67th season in Los Angeles, California, and their 63rd season playi…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2024_Los_Angeles_Dodgers_seaso…

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+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 9: “he recorded consecutive hitless performances Sunday and Monday”

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.

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Claim 10: “Roberts said the slugger would get the day off on Thursday”

CORROBORATED

A source explicitly states: 'Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani won’t hit either Wednesday... or Thursday'.

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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…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2025 Major League Baseball season began on March 18 (with a special two-game Tokyo Series), while the regular season ended on September 28. The postseason began on September 30. The World Series t…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2025_Major_League_Baseball_sea…

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Joseph John Maddon (born February 8, 1954) is an American former professional baseball manager. He has managed the Tampa Bay Rays, Chicago Cubs, and Los Angeles Angels of Major League Baseball (MLB). …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Maddon

+ 3 more evidence sources

info

Claim 11: “He entered Tuesday mired in a 4-for-38 slump over his last 11 games.”

SINGLE SOURCE

The specific stat '4-for-38 slump over his last 11 games' is not explicitly corroborated by the provided search results, though other sources mention a slump and a hitless streak.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — He has not hit a home run in 51 at-bats since his sixth of the season against the Chicago Cubs on April 27. Ohtani, who typically does not engage in outdoor batting practice on days he plays as a hitt…
https://www.chosun.com/english/sports-en/2026/05/12/DWRDC66I…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Shohei Ohtani snaps his 15 at bat hitless streak with an RBI single!! The Astros, meanwhile, face a tough stretch of games as they look to regain their offensive rhythm. The loss to the Dodgers was a …
https://www.world-today-journal.com/shohei-ohtani-snaps-hitl…

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — “Dave Roberts said Shohei Ohtani won’t hit either Wednesday (his start date on the mound) or Thursday as he continues to scuffle at the plate.” Think about this for a moment. The Dodgers have slipped …
https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/los-angeles-dodgers/dodgers-new…

info

Claim 12: “he has only one home run in his last 107 plate appearances”

SINGLE SOURCE

One web search result explicitly states: 'And he has only one home run in his last 107 plate appearances'. No other independent source confirms this specific number.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — Shohei Ohtani[e][f] (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 prev…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shohei_Ohtani

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — And he has only one home run in his last 107 plate appearances, a stunning power outage for a four-time MVP coming off back-to-back 50-homer campaigns.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/12/sports/dodgers-plan-to-give-sl…

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web search NEUTRAL — This one, the first one, was a 107.3 mph, 45-degree moonshot -- the highest home run Ohtani has hit in his big league career. He had four hits in the game, including the two homers.
https://www.mlb.com/news/shohei-ohtani-s-best-home-runs

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Claim 13: “manager Dave Roberts said the two-way star might be out of the Dodgers’ lineup –– at least as a hitter –– the next two nights.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (The Mainichi, CBS Sports, and a news snippet regarding the Giants game) confirm Dave Roberts' plan to limit Ohtani's hitting duties to keep him fresh, specifically mentioning he might be out of the lineup for a couple of nights.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The 2026 Los Angeles Dodgers season is the 137th season for the Los Angeles Dodgers franchise in Major League Baseball (MLB), their 69th season in Los Angeles, California, and their 65th season playin…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2026_Los_Angeles_Dodgers_seaso…

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+ 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.