Shohei Ohtani bats fifth in Dodgers' NLDS Game 3 lineup

Shohei Ohtani batted fifth in the Dodgers' lineup for NLDS Game 3, according to Katie Woo's pregame report. In the full lineup Woo posted, Ohtani appeared at designated hitter in the No. 5 spot, and the Dodgers' official account also shared the Game 3 lineup.

Fabian Ardaya reported that manager Dave Roberts said the change was "just for today against Chris Sale", framing it as a one-game adjustment rather than a broader reshuffle.

Woo also reported that Roberts said Ohtani was agreeable to the move. In Ardaya's report, Roberts said Ohtani told him he had been going to suggest dropping in the order back in September. Ohtani hitting fifth was, as Woo noted, the lowest spot he'd occupied in a lineup since 2020.

That leaves the main takeaway fairly narrow but notable: the Dodgers changed Ohtani's spot for Game 3, Roberts publicly tied it to the matchup with Sale, and Roberts said Ohtani was on board with it.

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