How does Shohei Ohtani feel about his role with Dodgers?

Give Dave Roberts credit for his honesty.

The Dodgers’ manager isn’t pretending to know what he doesn’t know.

Roberts doesn’t know if Ohtani’s acceptance of occasionally not hitting on days he pitches is a reflection of how well he wants to perform on the mound this season.

“Maybe,” he said.

Roberts also isn’t certain if Ohtani would let him know if he’s displeased with how he is being used.

“I’d like to think he would tell me if he didn’t agree with it,” he said.

No one really knows Ohtani, and that’s the most fascinating aspect of the Dodgers’ efforts to manage the two-way player’s workload.

Ohtani is extremely guarded, his carefully-crafted remarks designed to skirt controversy. That’s been the case here as well, as he’s maintained he would do whatever he’s told by Roberts. But he also hasn’t said he’s in favor of being removed from the Dodgers lineup when he pitches, and in Japanese culture what’s not said is often more important than what’s said.

So maybe Ohtani really didn’t mind how he was used on Tuesday night, when he pitched six innings but didn’t take a single at-bat in a 2-1 loss to the Miami Marlins. Or maybe he did mind.

Then again, if he was bothered, to what degree would his feelings dictate his actions?

One of the only times he’s revealed an uncomfortable truth was in 2021 when he was playing for the Angels. On his way to winning his first most valuable player award but upset with how often the Angels were losing, he said that as much as he liked the organization, his “feelings of wanting to win are stronger.”

Did the sentiments direct him to the Dodgers? 

Possibly, but when he was a free agent, his representative circled back to the Angels and offered them an opportunity to convince him to remain in Anaheim.

Would Ohtani have stayed with the Angels if Moreno hadn’t refused to match the heavily-deferred, 10-year, $700-million he eventually accepted from the Dodgers? Or would his “feelings of wanting to win” have led him to the Dodgers no matter what?

Who knows.

So if Ohtani didn’t like being reduced to a one-way player when he pitches, would that harm his relationship with the Dodgers?

Perhaps, but not necessarily.

Roberts isn’t taking any chances. While Roberts said he didn’t solicit any input from Ohtani when deciding he wouldn’t hit in two of his last three pitching appearances, he made it a point to emphasize the call was made with his best interest in mind.

“Every decision I make for him or any of my players, they understand it’s for their benefit,” Roberts said.

By reducing his workload, Roberts is better positioning Ohtani to win the Cy Young Award he is believed to want. From the organization’s perspective, Roberts is doing what he can to preserve Ohtani’s 31-year-old body to make another World Series run in October.

However, Ohtani was born and raised in a country in which authority figures traditionally aren’t questioned, which is why his polite acceptance of Roberts’ decisions shouldn’t be interpreted as a full-on endorsement. 

Asked about the long-term benefits of restricting him to pitching in some games, Ohtani replied in Japanese, “I wonder.”

Ohtani mentioned how limiting his responsibilities “might” help him stay healthy for the entire season. He pointed to how the Dodgers might want to try other players in the designated hitter role, as they did with Dalton Rushing in this game. But he also made clear the idea was the team’s, not his.

“Personally, I think I want to go in the direction I’m told to go,” he said. “I’ll leave that entirely up to the team.”

Charged with his first loss of the season, Ohtani gave up two runs (one earned) and five hits in six innings. The earned run the Marlins scored against him came in a laborious fifth inning in which he was forced to throw 28 pitches. 

Ohtani pushed back against the idea that he was able to rebound to pitch a scoreless six inning because he didn’t have offensive responsibilities.

“I don’t think that was because I was focused on pitching,” he said. “Simply, I just think the way I went into the fifth inning wasn’t good.”

Ohtani didn’t complain, but the restraint with which he spoke raised questions about what he was actually thinking. As much as his aversion to controversy points to this not being a problem, his oversized importance to the Dodgers makes it necessary for Roberts to exercise as much care as he has in dealing with the situation.

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