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The Dodgers dropped a 3-2 walk-off loss to the Diamondbacks on Wednesday, and plenty of fans were left wondering the same thing: why didn’t Shohei Ohtani get a pinch-hit at-bat in the ninth inning? Dave Roberts had a clear reason for keeping his superstar on the bench, per the LA Times. Ohtani was getting a scheduled rest day for the series finale against Arizona, and Roberts made the decision to stick with that plan even as the game hung in the balance.

Ohtani’s rest days are always going to generate this kind of scrutiny. When you have a generational talent sitting in the dugout during a close loss, the instinct is to second-guess. But Roberts has been deliberate all season about managing Ohtani’s workload. We’re talking about a player who signed a 10-year, $700 million deal and is still working his way back to full two-way duty after elbow surgery. The long view matters here. Ohtani has been one of the most productive hitters in baseball this season, and keeping him healthy and fresh over 162 games — and into October — is the priority. One game in early June against Arizona doesn’t change that calculus, no matter how much it stings in the moment.

This is also a reflection of where Roberts stands on rest days philosophically. He’s not going to schedule a day off for a player and then burn it the moment the situation gets tight. That defeats the entire purpose. If you tell a guy he’s off, he’s off. Otherwise the rest day becomes a half-measure — the player isn’t fully resting, and you’ve undermined the consistency of your own plan. Roberts has been consistent about this throughout his tenure, and I think it’s the right approach even when it’s uncomfortable.

The loss itself is frustrating, no question. A 3-2 walk-off to the Diamondbacks is the kind of game that gnaws at you. Arizona has been a thorn in our side, and leaving your best hitter on the bench while the game slips away is never going to feel good in real time. But the Dodgers are playing the long game here. We’re in early June. The roster is deep enough to absorb these kinds of losses without Ohtani needing to play hero every night.

What I do think is fair to ask is whether the lineup around Ohtani is doing enough on nights like this. A 3-2 loss means the offense couldn’t generate much regardless. That’s not an Ohtani problem — that’s a depth-of-lineup problem, and it’s something the front office will be monitoring as we head deeper into the summer. For now, though, Roberts made the right call sticking with the plan. Rest days only work if you actually rest.

Source(s): Staff (LA Times) | First reported: June 5, 2026 1:13 PM UTC

God Bless and Go Dodgers