The Dodgers got a little closer to full health in one area and a little thinner in another on Monday, but the bigger picture still looked pretty bright.
Shohei Ohtani remains on the injured list, and Dave Roberts said the next step comes Tuesday, when Ohtani will start hitting off a tee. The club is still targeting a return after the 15-day minimum, so the wait may not be long.
Even so, the question hanging over October isn’t just when Ohtani comes back - it’s which version of him the Dodgers will get. He played through part of the 2024 postseason hurt, then answered with some of the best individual October performances ever in the 2025 NLCS and World Series.
That kind of surge isn’t something to expect every time, but Los Angeles has plenty of reason to believe he can still change a series with a few big swings.
The Dodgers also took care of business on the field Monday night, beating the Cincinnati Reds 4-1 to lock up a postseason berth. Kyle Tucker and Teoscar Hernández kept their power run going, with Tucker hitting his 15th homer and Hernández his 14th. Tarik Skubal delivered his sharpest outing yet for Los Angeles, going seven innings and allowing three hits and no runs while walking one and striking out nine.
That win extended the Dodgers’ streak to 14 straight postseason appearances, matching the 1991-2005 Braves for the longest run in baseball history, with the 1994 postseason canceled because of the players strike. The comparison lands differently when you remember those Braves won the World Series only once, in 1995. The Dodgers, meanwhile, have captured three titles since 2013.
Monday also brought a flurry of roster movement. Emmet Sheehan was optioned and Paul Gervase was recalled.
Edgardo Henriquez was placed on the injured list with lower back discomfort, and Bobby Miller was brought back up. Kris Bubic is also expected to join the club for his Dodgers debut after a long IL stint following the trade with the Kansas City Royals.
Even with all that shuffling, the most urgent concern may be the bullpen, which is looking even more depleted heading toward October.
In Other News...
Brewers Are Getting The Kind Of NL Respect Fans Crave
A fresh round of respect is starting to tilt toward Milwaukee, and it came from a source that tends to notice the leagues real power centers. In a poll of MLB executives conducted by Jesse Rogers of ESPN, the Brewers edged the Dodgers as the National League team to beat for the 2026 season, taking six votes to Los Angeles five. The reasoning centered on Milwaukees pitching, with Jacob Misiorowski helping headline a staff that drew plenty of notice.
For the Dodgers, the vote total is hardly a disaster, but it does reflect the unease that can follow a season when the margins look thinner than expected. Executives pointed to concerns about Shohei Ohtanis injury and a lineup that fell short of its usual standard, two reminders that even a star-studded roster can lose some of its aura when health and production wobble. The Dodgers still sit right at the top of the NL conversation, but this time they are sharing the spotlight instead of owning it alone. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Suddenly Have A Real De Paula Decision To Make
Miguel De Paulas rise has given the Dodgers something they didnt expect to be sorting out this soon. Promoted straight from Double-A Tulsa to the major league roster after Shohei Ohtani landed on the injured list, De Paula arrived with some momentum behind him and quickly gave the club a glimpse of why he was moved so aggressively. His work in Tulsa had been strong enough to earn the call, and his first taste of the big leagues already included his first career home run.
For a Dodgers team that has had to juggle roster decisions all season, De Paulas place now becomes more than a temporary fill-in. The manager said he will get major league at-bats while Ohtani recovers, which gives the club a chance to see whether the young infielder can do more than cover for a vacancy. For a player who was still in Double-A not long ago, the opportunity is as real as the uncertainty that comes with it. [Read more 🡒]
Dodgers Bullpen Gets A Needed Lefty As Pressure Keeps Building
The Dodgers added another arm to a bullpen that has been asked to carry plenty of weight, reaching into the Royals for left-hander Kris Bubic in exchange for minor league pitcher Carlos Duran. Bubic is currently on the 60-day injured list, but the plan is for him to head straight into Los Angeles bullpen, giving Dave Roberts another option as the club keeps searching for stability in relief.
Roberts confirmed Bubic is expected to arrive soon, and the lefty said he was excited about the move to Los Angeles. If everything lines up, he could be available as soon as Wednesday, which would give the Dodgers a potentially useful piece just as the pressure on the bullpen continues to build. [Read more 🡒]