Dodgers Surprise Fans: Shohei Ohtani Benched for First Time This Season Against Diamondbacks

Shohei Ohtani is out of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ lineup for the first time this season on Wednesday in the series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Ohtani is being replaced by Will Smith at the designated hitter position, with Austin Barnes catching.

Arizona has the left-handed Jordan Montgomery on the mound, but Ohtani is 2-for-6 in his career against Montgomery with a double — Ohtani was also in the starting lineup on Tuesday with Montgomery on the mound, before a 115-minute bee delay forced Arizona to switch starting pitchers.

As of now, there’s no information on why Ohtani is out of the lineup, but there will be an update from Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who’s scheduled to speak to reporters at 4:15 p.m. PT.

Ohtani went 1-for-5 on Tuesday, and is slashing .336/.399/.618 this season with seven home runs and 19 RBIs.

Stay tuned on dodgersnation.com for more updates on Ohtani’s status when we learn more.