Tuesday night against the Phillies was quintessential 2025 Dodgers baseball: Shohei Ohtani authored another historic performance while the bullpen unraveled. Ohtani threw five no-hit innings and hit his 50th home run of the season — feats that would normally headline any game — but Los Angeles still lost, 9–6, after the relief corps surrendered nine runs.
That duality has defined the Dodgers’ season. The starting rotation, featuring Ohtani, Tyler Glasnow, Clayton Kershaw, Blake Snell, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, and Emmet Sheehan, is as healthy and deep as it’s been in years. The bullpen, meanwhile, has been a nightly question mark.
With October looming, the challenge isn’t whether the Dodgers have enough talent to win — it’s how to deploy it.
Relief Role on the Table for Shohei Ohtani
Vote For Your Favorite Dodgers Duo: Ohtani – Yamamoto, Betts – Freeman, Hernandez – Hernandez
Ohtani acknowledged after the game that the possibility of pitching in relief has been raised internally. “I’ve been having various conversations with different people, and that topic has come up as well,” he told Japanese reporters, via Dodgers Nation. “That applies to the mound, and possibly even the outfield. If I end up going as a reliever, then depending on what follows, there could be situations where I also need to play defense in the outfield. So no matter what situation arises, I want to make sure I’m prepared to handle it.”
The complication comes from MLB’s designated hitter rules. If Ohtani starts on the mound, he can stay in the game as the DH after being lifted. But if he begins as the DH and later comes in to pitch, the Dodgers would lose the DH once he’s removed from the mound. That’s why the idea of using him in the outfield has surfaced — a way to keep his bat in the lineup while still unlocking his arm late in games.
Outfield Experience, But Years Removed
Ohtani has some background in the outfield. He logged 62 games there during his Nippon Professional Baseball career and seven with the Angels in 2021 before MLB’s rule change allowed him to remain the DH after pitching. In those instances, the Angels shifted him to the grass to preserve his bat without sacrificing the lineup spot. Would the Dodgers put Ohtani in harm’s way, risking injury or take a quality fielder off the diamond to lock in Ohtani in the lineup?
Still, Ohtani hasn’t taken an outfield rep in three years. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts was careful when asked about the possibility. “He’s a great teammate. He wants to help us win a championship,” Roberts said. “So I’m all about it. I don’t know if it’s going to happen. He hasn’t played the outfield. But I appreciate the fact that he’s open to whatever we need. So, I don’t know how that looks though. He hasn’t taken a fly ball all year.”
The Dodgers’ Most Likely Scenario
The cleanest path may be to use Ohtani as a closer. That would allow him to start the game as the DH, then take the mound for the final outs without forcing Roberts to sacrifice the designated hitter early. If the game extends, then the Dodgers would face the outfield/DH puzzle — but not before.
For now, the discussion underscores just how unique Ohtani is. He’s batting .282/.395/.611 with 50 homers, while also carrying a 3.29 ERA and 54 strikeouts in 41 innings. He’s tracking toward a fourth MVP award, trailing only Barry Bonds’ seven on the all-time list.
And yet the Dodgers’ October fate may hinge not on his numbers, but on how creatively they use him when the bullpen door swings open.