Shohei Ohtani or Tyler Glasnow in Dodgers’ playoff rotation?

Simply showing that he can pitch won’t suffice.

If Shohei Ohtani wants to be a two-way player for the Dodgers in the playoffs, he will have to show something over the remainder of the regular season.

Or at least show enough to justify moving Tyler Glasnow to the bullpen.

Glasnow is the current benchmark for the fourth and final place in the postseason rotation.

Ohtani has to clear it.

Doing so will require Ohtani to do more than pitch well. He will also have to remain healthy and convince the Dodgers that his work on the mound won’t negatively affect him in the batter’s box. 

The additional value that Ohtani provides by playing both ways will have to be greater than whatever would be lost by forcing Glasnow out of his customary role.

That’s certainly within Ohtani’s capabilities – but not automatic.

Ohtani is scheduled to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday or Thursday in Atlanta, which opens the possibility for him to pitch on Sunday in the Dodgers’ series finale against the Tigers in Detroit.

Ohtani hasn’t pitched since July 3 because of problems with his left knee, and whether he returns on Sunday or some time after, he is expected to be on the mound for only one inning. But Dave Roberts said the process of stretching out Ohtani won’t be as deliberate as it was last year and that he could “in theory” be a full-fledged starter by the start of the postseason.

Now that he’s almost two months removed from his last start, what will this look like?

Whether it was because of his knee, the absence of regular catcher Will Smith, or a combination of the two, Ohtani was pitching well below his usual standards when he was shut down. In his last four starts leading up to his removal from the rotation, he posted a 4.38 earned-run average.

Ohtani said at the time that his knee bothered him only when he pitched, but he later acknowledged that it limited how fast he could run. 

And this is where the cost of sending Ohtani back to the mound will have to be considered.

Ohtani said he chose to stop pitching through the discomfort to give his knee a chance to heal, but he jogged gingerly back to the dugout when grounding out in the seventh inning of the Dodgers’ 4-3 loss to the Braves on Tuesday night.

“It looked a little funny,” Roberts said.

Then again, Ohtani stretched a double into a triple two innings later.

The coming weeks will not only test Ohtani’s knee, but also whether he can remain a productive hitter while taking on a two-way workload.

Coincidentally or not, Ohtani’s offensive numbers have plunged since he started ramping up his pitching efforts. On Aug. 14, Ohtani threw his first bullpen session in more than three weeks. From that point on, he’s batted only .231.

So, unless Ohtani is absolutely lights out on the mound – which, it should be stressed, is entirely possible – what’s the point of him pitching if it will take away from how he can most impact the Dodgers?

Because as spectacular as Ohtani can be as a pitcher, he’s more important to the Dodgers’ lineup than he is to the rotation. If Ohtani can’t pitch, the Dodgers can turn to Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Tarik Skubal, Blake Snell and, yes, Glasnow.

Glasnow might not have the public profile of the four other All-Stars in the Dodgers’ rotation, but that’s primarily because of how often he gets injured. When Glasnow is healthy, he’s one of the best pitchers in baseball. His return from the injured list on Tuesday was the latest testament to his talent.

In his first major league game in 3 ½ months, Glasnow gave up three runs in the first inning but settled down after. He limited the Braves to two hits over the next four innings.

“Feel healthy and strong,” Glasnow told reporters in Atlanta.

Of the Dodgers’ five Cy Young Award-caliber starters, Glasnow figures to be the most likely to move the bullpen, as he was a reliever earlier in his career and made three relief appearances in the playoffs last year. Pitching out out of the bullpen isn’t a realistic option for Ohtani, as he wouldn’t be able to warm up during a game if he’s hitting or on base.

Glasnow was the hero in Game 6 of the World Series, as he was called into the game after Roberts pulled the ripcord on Roki Sasaki before the Japanese right-hander could record an out in the ninth inning. Glasnow inherited runners on second and third base but didn’t allow either of them to score to preserve the win. He came back a day later to pitch 2 ⅓ innings in Game 7.

But if the experience qualifies Glasnow to pitch as a reliever, it’s also part of the argument why he should be a starter. 

“Coming into spring training, he just seemed like another level of confident that I just felt was palpable,” Roberts said. “That translated into the season.”

Glasnow made seven starts before he landed on the injured list with back spasms and was 300 with a 2.72 earned-run average and 49 strikeouts in 39 ⅔ innings. 

With Glasnow as an option, is it really worth starting Ohtani in the playoffs when doing so could affect his health and offensive performance?

The Dodgers have five weeks to answer that question.

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