Everyone from Freddie Freeman to Will Smith and even Teoscar Hernández have had productive at-bats in getting the Dodgers into the National League Championship Series.

So, where's Shohei Ohtani? The Japanese superstar who continues to confound MLB experts with a two-way style of play has been simply off when hitting. It's just startling to see how much Ohtani has been flailing away at pitches.

Sure, Ohtani has had times where he's made solid contact. But Dodgers fans have come to expect a lot more out of him than what he's been producing in the 2025 MLB postseason.

Let's take a look at Ohtani's postseason production this season. According to StatMuse, Ohtani is hitting .147 as he's collected five hits out of 37 at-bats. He's slugged two home runs and has six RBIs. Ohtani has a .324 slugging percentage and an OBP of .275.

These are not-Shohei-like numbers at all.

Being in the leadoff position, Ohtani is expected to kickstart the Dodgers' offense by getting on base. This lack of output from him is startling and probably leaves Dodgers Nation scratching their collective heads.

There's no doubt that Ohtani has the talent and skill to produce at the plate. 

At times, though, Ohtani has been seen swinging wildly at pitches out of the strike zone. He's been one of the steadiest hands as far as hitting is concerned in MLB over the past few years. 

Of course, Ohtani was part of the 2024 World Series championship Dodgers. He's been able to rise to the occasion all the time.

That's what makes this postseason slump so baffling. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts obviously still believes in Ohtani to keep him in the leadoff spot. But Roberts probably wants to see less wild swings out of his pitcher-outfielder as the NLCS rolls along.

The Dodgers get a chance to open up a 3-0 NLCS lead over the Milwaukee Brewers on Thursday. First pitch is slotted for 6:08 p.m. Eastern and the game will be shown on TBS, truTV, and HBO Max.

Roberts has probably shared a moment with Ohtani to make sure his confidence has not waned. He knows that LA rolls with Ohtani getting on base.

That's what Roberts hopes to see in Ohtani's first at-bat on Thursday.

Dodgers fans wouldn't mind seeing Ohtani take a pitch from the Brewers starting pitcher over the right-field wall at Dodger Stadium for an early lead.