The Los Angeles Dodgers are dealing with a very unique situation, as Shohei Ohtani has seemingly been roped into a gambling scandal that involves his former interpreter and best friend Ippei Mizuhara, but Dodgers manager Dave Roberts did not seem overly concerned when speaking on the situation as Ohtani is slated to speak on Monday, according to Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic.
Roberts said that it will be “good” for Ohtani to address the situation on Monday, and that it has not been a distraction for the Dodgers ahead of the new season. Roberts said that Ohtani has not addressed the team, and that while he has spoken with him one-on-one, it has not been about the ongoing Mizuhara controversy.
While MLB did not initially launch an investigation, it is going through those processes now, so we will have to wait for the results of that as there is a lot of uncertainty regarding the situation.
It is understandably a unique situation for Ohtani and the Dodgers. The two-way superstar did not address the media after the team's 15-11 loss to the San Diego Padres in Seoul, South Korea on Thursday. Now, the Dodgers will play three games against the Los Angeles Angels in the Freeway Series on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday. The games on Sunday and Monday will be at Dodger Stadium, while the game on Tuesday will be at Angel Stadium.
How will Shohei Ohtani, Dodgers be impacted?
As much as Roberts says that the Mizuhara situation has not been a distraction for the Dodgers, eyes will be on the team at the start of the season to see how much it truly does impact them. He might be right, and many professional athletes are very good at having tunnel vision. There certainly is enough talent on the Dodgers for them to turn the attention to their on-field play if they get off to a hot start. But there will undoubtedly be questions about a potential distraction if they struggle out of the gate.
The same goes for Ohtani. If he is hitting like he is expected to at the start of the season, it will be a lot easier for him and the team to deal with the ongoing investigation and situation overall. If he struggles, it will be a bit tougher for fans to ignore that there could be an off-field distraction impacting his play.
Regardless, it will be worth monitoring Shohei Ohtani's comments on Monday for his perspective on the story. Based on his track record, it would be a surprise if there is too much revealed on the situation, especially with an ongoing investigation taking place.
For the rest of the Dodgers, they will look to complete the Freeway Series without injuries and get ready for the home opener on Thursday against the St. Louis Cardinals ad Dodger Stadium.
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