Ohtani roles for potential G7 include opener, OF

TORONTO -- Dodgers manager Dave Roberts volition see utilizing Shohei Ohtani arsenic an opener oregon adjacent arsenic an outfielder successful Game 7 if Los Angeles forces the World Series against the Toronto Blue Jays to the limit.

The two-way prima threw 93 pitches successful Wednesday's 6-2 loss successful Game 4 and could beryllium disposable arsenic a reliever this play successful Toronto.

However, if Ohtani entered arsenic a reliever aft starting the crippled arsenic a designated hitter, the Dodgers would suffer their DH. If helium entered arsenic a reliever aft starting arsenic a DH, helium would request to play a presumption to stay successful the crippled erstwhile his mound quality is over.

Ohtani tin stay successful the crippled arsenic a DH if helium besides is the starting pitcher.

"I deliberation we would see everything," Roberts said Thursday, a time up of Game 6. "It's much of conscionable benignant of doing immoderate we tin to get done time and past prime up the pieces and past spot what's the champion mode to onslaught a imaginable Game 7. So everything should beryllium connected the array and volition be, for sure."

Roberts said helium planned to sermon options with Ohtani aboriginal Thursday.

Ohtani has ne'er pitched successful alleviation during his Major League Baseball career. He made a fistful of alleviation appearances successful Japan for the Pacific League's Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters, mostly arsenic a rookie successful 2013. He closed retired Japan's triumph successful the 2023 World Baseball Classic last against the United States, striking retired then-Los Angeles Angels teammate Mike Trout for the last out.

Ohtani is batting .250 with 8 homers, 14 RBI and 14 walks successful the postseason for a 1.109 OPS. He is 2-1 connected the mound with a 3.50 ERA and 25 strikeouts successful 18 innings.

He made 7 outfield appearances with the Angels successful 2021, the twelvemonth earlier a regularisation was changed allowing starting pitchers to enactment successful games astatine DH aft being removed from mound appearances.