​The Los Angeles Dodgers are getting desperate down 0-2 in the National League Championship Series. With their backs against the wall, the team will reportedly have a “conversation” with two-way star Shohei Ohtani about sitting him in Game 3, per The Athletic. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts didn’t explicitly confirm he would bench Ohtani in Game 3, but said he would have a “conversation” with the superstar after Ohtani took some horrid at-bats in Game 2, per The Athletic.”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 has had a rough start to the series, going 1-for-7 with three strikeouts against the Milwaukee Brewers. While that would normally be written off as a small-sample slump, Ohtani has been subject to criticism over 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 keep 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, 2026That wasn’t Ohtani’s only concerning at-bat during the series. He’s been consistently beat by velocity and reportedly tried to shorten his swing to try and go the other way with pitches, per The Athletic. His struggles haven’t been limited to the NLCS, either. This postseason, Ohtani is just 3 of 20, with three walks and seven strikeouts. His three hits have been singles, giving him a .150/.261/.150 slash line over six games. Perhaps most concerning, however, is the fact that Ohtani hasn’t been himself for quite some time now. Since Aug. 14, Ohtani hit .198/.305/.363 over his final 23 games of the regular season. He was placed on the injured list in the middle of that stretch due to knee and biceps injuries. While Ohtani was given a break to recover from both issues, he returned to action still dealing with the ailments. Ahead of the team’s National League Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, Ohtani admitted he would have to “manage” both injuries during the playoffs. Thus far, Ohtani hasn’t been able to manage the injuries effectively enough. The Dodgers seemed to recognize that much early in the postseason, dropping Ohtani in the batting order. That hasn’t been enough, forcing the Dodgers into a tough situation ahead of Game 3 on Wednesday. Los Angeles has the talent to excel even if Ohtani needs to miss time. Whether the team is brave enough to make that decision could be the difference between coming back in the NLCS or watching the World Series at home.