Shohei Ohtani (31) of the Los Angeles Dodgers conducted his first outdoor batting practice since April 4 on Saturday (May 11 local time) in an effort to break out of his slump, and he launched a ball over the right-field fence.
In the second round, he sent three balls over the wall in 10 swings. The third round saw four homers, with the final shot clearing the right-field fence. He added three in the fourth round, two in the fifth, and five in the sixth. In total, the 52 swings produced 17 home runs during the outdoor session—his first in a week. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts and front office personnel watched intently as Ohtani showcased powerful swings aimed at exiting his recent struggles. Prior to batting practice, he also threw 23 pitches in the bullpen.
Ohtani was in the starting lineup as the leadoff designated hitter for Sunday’s game against the San Francisco Giants at Dodger Stadium. He faced right-hander T. McDonald, against whom he is 1-for-3 with a strikeout in his career. The expectation was high for his seventh home run of the season, which would come in his 11th game since his last homer on April 26 against the Chicago Cubs. Mookie Betts, returning to the lineup, started at shortstop and batted second.
On Friday (May 10 local time), Ohtani went 0-for-4 as the leadoff DH against the Atlanta Braves. That extended his homerless streak to 46 consecutive plate appearances, with only one home run in his last 21 games. Roberts had noted earlier, “He’s behind on fastballs. Normally he drives balls the other way, but now he seems to be late on pitches around his belt, hitting under the ball. It indicates he’s late on his swing.” In May, Ohtani is batting just .129 (4-for-31) with no home runs.
