“Stay off Him”: Dodgers’ Manager Dave Roberts Reveals What It’s Really Like Managing Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani does not need Dave Roberts hovering over him because when a player can practically win a postseason game by himself, as Ohtani did against the Brewers in the 2025 NLCS, constant coaching can do more harm than good. Roberts has figured out that sometimes the best way to manage a superstar is to stop managing him.

“As far as the greatest player I’ve ever seen, it’s by far Shohei,” Roberts said on the 6-1-1 Podcast. “Honestly, I don’t manage him very often. I sort of let him do his thing… As far as coaching, I sort of kind of stay off him.”

Roberts rarely interferes with Ohtani’s preparation because the Dodgers star already has a clear sense of what he wants to accomplish and how he wants to get there. That is also why Roberts has previously called Ohtani “my easiest player to manage.” Once Ohtani settles on a goal, Roberts knows he will keep working toward it.

“When he sets his mind on something, he wants to see it happen,” Roberts said, describing the persistence he has seen from Ohtani behind the scenes.

That showed during Ohtani’s return from elbow surgery. The Dodgers controlled his progression carefully, even when Ohtani wanted to move faster, but he continued working through the plan.

“With time, you really get to know the person,” Roberts said, pointing to what he learned about Ohtani during that process.

The same discipline applies to Ohtani’s two-way workload. He wants to pitch regularly while remaining in the lineup as the designated hitter, which already requires a highly structured routine.

Roberts stays out of that routine unless he spots something specific.

“There’s times where I feel that he needs to lock in on the strike zone a little bit better,” Roberts said. “I’ll kind of pose certain things of like, hey man, I see this, I see that, and let’s get back to this.”

One of those reminders is keeping the ball through the middle of the field. Roberts said he tells Ohtani, “Let’s get back to the big part of the field,” when he starts becoming too aggressive or cheating toward pitches.

Ohtani already has enough power to drive the ball to center. Roberts believes problems start when he gets too quick and opens himself up to pitches he normally handles better.

That is when Roberts steps in with another simple message: “Let’s get back to being who you are.” So Roberts is not completely hands-off. He avoids unnecessary instruction, but when Ohtani drifts away from his best approach, he gives him a specific correction and moves on.

That dynamic is more complicated now because Ohtani is dealing with something Roberts cannot manage through a hitting reminder.

Ohtani is on the 15-day injured list with left knee, right biceps, and neck issues, and September 23 is his earliest possible return date. Roberts has not guaranteed that timeline, but Ohtani has started progressing with his hitting work.

“He should be getting some coach pitch this week,” Roberts said. He also added that Ohtani is “progressing well” and experiencing “no pain.”

Ohtani had already started hitting off a tee earlier in the week as the Dodgers gradually increased his workload.

The injury also came during a relatively quiet stretch at the plate.

Over his previous 30 games, Ohtani hit .231 with six home runs and 13 RBIs while striking out 39 times in 117 at-bats.

His overall 2026 production remains strong. Through 130 games, Ohtani is batting .277 with a .902 OPS, 30 home runs and 80 RBIs.

But those numbers are down from the offensive pace he established in his earlier Dodgers seasons, making his return even more important with October approaching.

If Ohtani returns September 23, he will have only five regular-season games before the postseason begins.

For now, Josue De Paula has received opportunities at designated hitter. The rookie is 3-for-18 with one home run, four RBIs, seven walks and two strikeouts, with his first career homer coming Sunday against Miami.

Roberts normally makes his job easier by knowing when to leave Ohtani alone.

This time, the bigger decision is knowing when he is healthy enough to let him go again.

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