For the first time since joining the Los Angeles Dodgers, Shohei Ohtani’s age might be catching up to him. The four-time MVP sat out his third consecutive game as he deals with left knee and bicep discomfort, marking the longest he’s been out since 2023. The move came as he struggled to a .137 batting average with a single home run over his last 13 games, retroactive to Sept. 3.
Discomfort after playing baseball is common, but Ohtani’s struggles at the plate are not due to injury or a sudden change in attitude. More signs suggest Ohtani is not only starting to age and that his past arm injuries are catching up to him, but that Father Time is beginning to rear his head. Fans probably won’t like the next statement, but it’s slowly becoming a concern: Shohei Ohtani might finally be slowing down for good.
Shohei Ohtani’s Age Comes In The Form Of Degraded Arm Strength And Fatigue
Ohtani is still a perennial MVP candidate with the Dodgers and an elite player, and little is changing. He’s still slugging an OPS over .900 and has more than 30 home runs in 2026, which is close to leading the National League. His slugging numbers have taken a hit, though, with a sudden 100-point drop in 2026 due to a lower home run rate.
Ohtani’s bat speed has slowed by one mile per hour each year. It reached a top of 77.4 miles per hour in 2023, when Statcast began tracking swing speeds, and he had a 74% rate of swinging more than 75 miles per hour. In 2026, those numbers have fallen to 74.6 miles per hour and 49%, respectively. He’s also getting the bat to the ball later than ever and is swinging under rather than lining it up.
Ohtani is hitting more ground balls this year, breaking the 40% mark for the first time since 2023. There’s also more pull to his batted balls, nearly a 50:50 split that could spell lower stats if it continues and teams shift more against him. While most of his other stats, including weak contact, exit velocity, and hard-hit percentage, remain in the 90th percentile or better, there are signs his play is beginning to recede.
There’s also the ongoing issue of being off the mound, stirring rumors that Ohtani might play out the rest of his career as a designated hitter. The Dodgers have repeatedly pointed to his recurring leg and arm soreness as the reason why he’s not pitching, which may very well be the case. His savant metrics show a pitcher still well above the 80th percentile in key areas, including strikeout rate, walk rate, ground balls, and hard-hit suppression.
Ohtani’s offspeed pitches, however, are beginning to decline, with him earning a negative run value in that category for the first time in his career. Yes, his fastball velocity and breaking efficiency are still well above average, but if arm injuries continue into the offseason or intensify, it’s only a matter of time before they start to break down. He did have Tommy John surgery twice in his career, once in 2018 and then again in 2023.
If Ohtani were not able to pitch anymore, he’d still have his hitting abilities, but he would lose his unicorn status and a big part of his MVP argument. The Dodgers could absolutely turn to another starter they have to fill that void, but it would be hard to justify a $750 million price tag on a glorified DH.
A Prolonged Offensive Slump Might Ruin The Rest Of Ohtani’s Career
Ohtani is known for putting up eye-opening monthly stats, averaging a 1.000 OPS over the last three seasons with few down months. In August 2026, for the first time since 2022, he posted an OPS under .800 in a single month, thanks to a slump in power and more strikeouts. It’s been accelerating in September before going to the bench, following one-for-six with four strikeouts in two games.
Since his four-for-five performance on Aug. 17, Ohtani has been seven-for-51 with 20 strikeouts and only three extra-base hits, though he does have four stolen bases. His walk rate of nearly 20% during that time did boost his on-base percentage to .290, but that’s far from what fans are familiar with. While the Dodgers are enjoying a double-digit lead in the National League West, there’s clear concern with Ohtani’s play.
“Obviously,” manager Dave Roberts told the New York Post, “we still got to get Shohei on track. Once we get him going, [our offense is] going to be fun to watch.”
On top of the declining bat speed, late timing, poor production, and injuries, Ohtani has also not been active with the media lately, which is unusual for him. A recent MLB report says the superstar hasn’t spoken to the media since Aug. 17 and repeatedly declined requests to comment during that time. Whether he’s focusing on recovery or avoiding media scrutiny is to be seen, but when a player isn’t forthcoming about his status, it’s concerning.
Ohtani must have a strong September to put the rumors to bed and revive his MVP chances against Pete Crow-Armstrong. Given that the Dodgers are already comfortably in a playoff spot, they might just rest him. That won’t put the questions about his health and level of play to bed anytime soon.
