Shohei Ohtani out of Dodgers’ lineup after painful 4-strikeout night

LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani is not in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ starting lineup Thursday as the club continues to weigh how best to preserve its two-way star’s health over the final month of the regular season.

The decision comes after an 8-6 loss in 10 innings to the St. Louis Cardinals on Wednesday in which Ohtani was hit by a pitch twice before striking out in his final four at-bats. It was Ohtani’s first four-strikeout night of the year, as the four-time MVP winced repeatedly during his final two at-bats and was seen shaking out his right hand in the dugout after his last plate appearance. After the game, manager Dave Roberts conceded his star looked “compromised” at the plate.

“Tonight was kind of the tip of the iceberg,” Roberts said after the loss. “But I’ve seen it over the last couple weeks, where he hasn’t been who he is.”

The Dodgers have downplayed Ohtani’s offensive struggles despite several weeks of underperformance. They have maintained he is healthy, even after lingering left knee and right biceps soreness led to him being scratched from what appeared to be an impending return to the mound last week.

It is fair to correlate Ohtani’s attempt to return to pitching with his recent slide, as his overall health has factored into both performances. Ohtani began a throwing program on Aug. 8. Since then, he has hit .204 with a .704 OPS, along with a 30.5 percent strikeout rate, 34.8 percent swing-and-miss rate and 50.8 percent ground-ball rate.

“I don’t know the answer right now,” Roberts said Wednesday night. “I’m going to have an honest conversation with the training staff and Sho and figure out what that answer is. But yeah, I think to expect him to be 100 percent, I don’t know.”

It is unclear how much recovery will be needed for Ohtani, who has not spoken to reporters since Aug. 17 despite repeated requests.

“Speaking for him, I know he feels that he needs to post and be in the lineup. If he’s upright, he should play. I respect that,” Roberts said. “But if he’s feeling the way that he visibly looks, then (it’s) really not helping anyone.”

This story will be updated.