Shohei Ohtani Sits Again as Freddie Freeman Takes Over Dodgers DH Duties

Shohei Ohtani is out of the Los Angeles Dodgers' starting lineup again tonight, which means it is officially time for the timeline to start wildly speculating.

According to Bob Nightengale, Freddie Freeman is sliding into the designated hitter spot to fill the void.

"Shohei Ohtani out of the Dodgers' starting lineup again tonight. Freddie Freeman is the DH. - Bob Nightengale"

When a $700 million man sits out consecutive games in September, the group chat immediately assumes the worst. The Dodgers have not given a concrete reason for the absence, leaving fans and bettors alike scrambling to figure out if this is routine maintenance or something that requires a medical degree to understand.

If you were holding an Ohtani home run ticket for tonight's matchup against the Cincinnati Reds, you are getting a refund instead of a sweat.

The good news for Los Angeles is that their backup plan involves plugging in a former MVP. Freeman taking the DH reps gives his legs a break while keeping his bat in a lineup that has been rolling lately.

The Dodgers just took down the Reds 6-3 yesterday and swept the Washington Nationals right before that. They are winning games even when the roster is not operating at maximum capacity.

Still, October is creeping up fast. A rest day here and there is fine, but if Ohtani is missing from the lineup card again tomorrow, the mild curiosity is going to turn into full-blown panic.