Dave Roberts says Shohei Ohtani will be in NLCS Game 3 lineup tomorrow despite hitting slump

Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts told reporters on Tuesday afternoon that Shohei Ohtani will be in the lineup for Game 3 of the NLCS tomorrow. Roberts previously said they would discuss what is best for Ohtani, as the slugger is just 1-for-7 at the plate through two games so far in the series.“Yeah, I mean, obviously it hasn't been good. He doesn't feel great. I think for me, it's having a conversation with him tomorrow, kind of try to figure out what's best for him, what's best for us. He certainly has earned that conversation and deserves it."I'll have [that conversation] with him tomorrow."Ohtani reportedly said that he felt “very convicted” and “adamant” that he feels good enough to play, per Sonja Chen. Ohtani's problem hasn’t even been the lack of results. The slump in the small sample size with three strikeouts would be easier to look past, but the issue has been the perception of the quality of his at-bats. Ohtani has drawn criticism for taking non-competitive at-bats. His strikeout against JoJo Romero in the sixth inning of Game 2, in particular, led some to worry that Ohtani might be too compromised to continue playing in the series.JoJo Romero strikes out Shohei Ohtani, who had a hard time holding onto the bat pic.twitter.com/oYILwD38cj— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) October 12, 2026This post will be updated.