Shohei Ohtani's Start Pushed Back 2 Days, Dodgers' Dave Roberts Explains Decision

Fear not, Los Angeles Dodgers fans.

Shohei Ohtani skipping Wednesday's scheduled start on the mound against the Athletics is nothing more than a chance for the two-way star to get some rest in the middle of a stretch of 13 games in 13 days.

"If there's any opportunity to give him some extra rest, we're going to try to take advantage of it," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said, per the Associated Press. "So pushing him to Friday allows us to have him still take two starts before the break and get on two division opponents. In that vein, there's just no downside. This made too much sense."

Roberts said the plan is for Ohtani to still play in the game as a designated hitter and then start as a pitcher in Friday's game against the San Diego Padres.

Considering the Padres are in second place in the National League West, that means Ohtani will match up against Los Angeles' division rivals and closest pursuers. Still, the Dodgers have a commanding 11-game lead in the NL West race and probably don't need to match their rotation up based on any real threats within the division.

Instead, it is a rare chance to get some rest for Ohtani after he dealt with some blister concerns earlier in the season. 

Home Run by Shohei Ohtani

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That hasn't stopped him from dominating on the mound with a 1.58 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 86 strikeouts in 79.2 innings. Those numbers alone would make him incredibly valuable, but he is also one of the league's top hitters.

Ohtani is slashing .297/.412/.546 with 18 home runs and 50 RBI at the plate as he looks to add a fourth straight MVP to his illustrious resume. Such an award would be his third straight since joining the Dodgers and his fifth overall in just the last six seasons.

As long as he remains that effective as the season progresses, one skipped start isn't going to do anything to his MVP odds.