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Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani takes rare on-field batting practice

April 2, 2026

LOS ANGELES — Minutes before NASA launched a rocket to circle the moon on Wednesday, Shohei Ohtani set up his own launching pad and put on an awe-inspiring show.

Ohtani took a rare turn of on-field batting practice before Wednesday’s game against the Cleveland Guardians as a way of addressing his slow start on offense with no extra-base hits through his first five games.

Ohtani started the session with blasts deep into the empty seats in right field as Guardians players began to assemble in front of the first-base dugout for their pregame stretch. One Ohtani swing sent Guardians players scrambling as he pulled the ball into the assembled mass.

How rare is an Ohtani on-field batting practice?

More men have set foot on the lunar surface than occurrences of Ohtani sessions in the on-field moveable batting cage over the past three seasons.

Since joining the Dodgers before the 2024 campaign, Ohtani has taken batting practice on the field only a handful of times. He hit before Game 3 of the National League Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers last fall when he was in a 2-for-25 playoff slide.

In Game 4 against the Brewers, he hit three home runs and struck out 10 over six scoreless innings on the mound in what is considered by some as the best individual playoff game performance ever.

Ohtani also hit on the field during an off day in Toronto between games of last season’s World Series and put on a spectacular show last month when he took his swings during a Team Japan practice session at Tokyo with fans in the stands.

Wednesday’s session came after he opened the season 3 for 15 (.200) with three runs scored, although he did have six walks and a .455 on-base percentage. His early-season .655 OPS is 300 points under his career mark.

“Honestly, I don’t think that I’m seeing him miss a lot of good pitches to hit,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said. “I think they’re understandably pitching him very carefully. I do like the way he’s being selective and taking walks when they’re given.”

It is indeed a small sample size with a five-game slide hardly anything to worry about over the course of a 162-game regular season. He was batting just .242 through his first eight games in a Dodgers uniform in 2024 and did not have a home run. He then hit seven home runs over his next 20 games.

“I’ve been able to get on base and that’s a good thing,” Ohtani said through an interpreter. “But on pitches that I should be making impact, I’m not quite able to do that to the extent that I should be able to. That’s the part that I’m not quite happy about.”

But Ohtani was not the only Dodgers hitter who had failed to hit his stride as the opening homestand drew to a close. Freddie Freeman was 4 for 20 (.200) through five games with one extra-base hit and a .488 OPS. Mookie Betts was 3 for 19 (.158) through five games but did have a home run and a double.

As good as Ohtani has been since joining the Dodgers, he has dealt with his fair share of downturns.

In addition to his slide in last year’s playoffs, he batted .193 over a 15-game run in 2024 but did hit two home runs. And he batted .136 over an 11-game stretch in the same season but did hit three home runs.

Last season, he was on a .145 slide on a 15-game stretch into July, with three home runs.

If anything, Ohtani’s lack of power has been an eye-opener, but it is hardly his first five-game stretch without a home run. What Ohtani seemed to be dealing with more than anything was the power of the opening week of the season.

“You know, there’s going to be guys that we’re talking about that are off to slow starts, and then a series later, the article is going to be, ‘He’s off to a hot start,’” Roberts said. “And it could change in two days. So it’s certainly overblown. I completely understand it, but the guys that have been around a long time understand that you can’t let that affect you.”

ROTATING ROTATION

Roberts confirmed that left-hander Justin Wrobleski will make his first start of the season during the upcoming road trip to Washington and Toronto.

“We just haven’t figured out which day,” Roberts said.

The Dodgers could have waited until the next homestand before utilizing a sixth starter. By using Wrobleski on the trip, it would give Ohtani an extra day of rest between starts after he made his 2026 pitching debut on Tuesday night.

Roberts said the plan right now is to have Ohtani pitch in the series finale against the Blue Jays next Wednesday.

MAKING MOVES

The Dodgers acquired a pair of pitchers via trade and waiver claim.

Left-hander Jake Eder was added from the Washington Nationals for cash considerations. The 27-year-old, who made eight appearances with the Angels last season, is 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in nine career appearances over two seasons.

Later Wednesday, the Dodgers claimed right-hander Grant Holman, 25, off waivers from the Arizona Diamondbacks. The San Diego-area native is 5-3 with a 4.66 ERA in 40 appearances (two starts) for the Athletics (2024) and Atlanta Braves (2025).

To get Holman on the 40-man roster, right-hander Gavin Stone was moved to the 60-day injured list with shoulder inflammation that developed this spring while trying to return from his October 2024 shoulder surgery.

UP NEXT

After an off day Thursday, Dodgers (RHP Emmet Sheehan) at Nationals (TBA), Friday, 10:05 a.m. PT, SportsNet LA, 570 AM

Orange County Register

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Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani takes rare on-field batting practice

ROTATING ROTATION

MAKING MOVES

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