Dodgers' manager Dave Roberts reveals Shohei Ohtani's mentality for Tokyo series

Fans will be eying the Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani during the Tokyo series vs the Cubs. Hours after the showdown, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts spoke to the reporters and talked about Ohtani's mentality against the Cubs, revealing his plans to improve performance after Opening Day.

Dave Roberts sheds light on Shohei Ohtani's mentality

Following the Opening Day, Dave Roberts appeared in front of the media on Sunday to talk about Shohei Ohtani's performance in the Tokyo Series so far. In addition, Roberts also shed light on what mentality Ohtani would hold while walking into the upcoming games. Sharing details into his take, Roberts said:

"I thought he (Ohtani) took some good swings, but it was planned for him to take just two at-bats today to get ready for the opener. Optimism for Opening Day, I think that we're really trying to be mindful of not just Opening Day, but not putting him in harm's way in the sense that he has not taken live at-bats or played any games, and not to put him in a position where he could potentially get hurt."

Talking about Shohei Ohtani's pitching status, fans have been eagerly waiting for his return as a pitcher, however, there might still be a long wait for that. Considering his workload as a pitcher, the Dodgers decided to lower down his pitching progression. However, Ohtani told a different story recently in Japan, when he said:

“I wanted to prioritize hitting as we enter the season, to give myself a mental and physical breather from pitching."

Earlier last week, Mike Trout praised Shohei Ohtani as one of the most "incredible" players and he enjoys watching the Dodgers star play his two-ways. Launching praises for Ohtani, during an interview with Sportico, Trout said:

"I watched him do what he does on the mound from center field for all those years. I've never seen a player like him. Not both ways like that. He's incredible. His season was pretty incredible."

"It was fun to watch and to follow. It was good for baseball, too. Everyone knows what he's capable of. To be able to put up that kind of numbers consistently is pretty amazing," Trout further added.

Nevertheless, Shohei Ohtani has a massive fanbase, which was recently compared with that of NBA star LeBron James and NFL star Patrick Mahomes, by ex-MLB star.

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