Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani was expected to continue his MVP dominance at the start of the season, but as things have progressed in 2026, it is looking more and more unlikely.
On Saturday, August 29th, Ohtani went 1-for-4 against the Detroit Tigers, but his MVP rival, Pete Crow-Armstrong, was going nuclear.
He went 4-for-6 with three home runs, bringing his numbers up to .282 for the season with 36 home runs and 89 RBIs.
Ohtani, meanwhile, is hitting .283 with 30 home runs and 80 RBIs. Additionally, his .918 OPS is dwarfed by PCA’s .944.
Aug 25, 2026; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani (17) in the dugout against the Atlanta Braves in the fourth inning at Truist Park. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images
PCA is hitting well while playing stellar center field, ranking as the best defender at his position and in the sport overall.
Ohtani has only lined up as the designated hitter since he stopped pitching, and he hasn’t done so for more than two full seasons.
When he was pitching, Ohtani was in the running for the Cy Young Award, and he has a crazy sub-1.00 ERA; however, he has missed more than 10 starts at this point, and it is creating a gap for Ohtani even when it comes to run prevention when compared to PCA
If he started slugging in September, he would have to hope PCA goes through his own slump.
At this point, that may not be enough; Ohtani might have to pitch to win the MVP, and that looks less likely by the day.
Aug 22, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter player Shohei Ohtani (17) jogs to first after a walk in the third inning against the Pittsburgh Pirates at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The month of August has now come and gone, and while Ohtani has been doing pitching work, his possible comeback on Sunday, August 30th, was canceled.
The Dodgers and Ohtani will reassess his knee in Los Angeles on Monday, hoping to get a clearer picture of where he is.
Right now, his knee and bicep are bothering him enough to keep him out of pitching. Even if he did return, he would pitch only an inning or two to start, hopefully building up to five innings for a full start by postseason time.
The longer his pitching return is delayed, the less likely it looks that he will pitch enough to catch PCA defensively.
At this point, the deck may be stacked too high for Ohtani, but if there is a player who can still upset the apple cart, it is Ohtani.
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