Shohei Ohtani’s Shock Return Tomorrow Draws Criticism From US Fans

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The story

Reports that Shohei Ohtani will make a surprise return to tomorrow’s game have sparked criticism from fans in the US. According to the source article, the decision to return after such a short recovery period drew a wave of criticism calling it “a huge mistake.” In a live-discussion thread on 5ch, posters shared reports that Ohtani — despite being benched to rest — was seen taking batting practice behind the dugout, along with comments attributed to manager Dave Roberts that Ohtani “gets moody when he’s struggling.” Opinions in the thread were split between those who felt rest should come first and those who felt his own desire to play should be respected.

Ohtani’s “BIG News”… US Fans Cry Out “Noooooo” — Snap Decision Draws Criticism, “A Huge Mistake”

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Read the original article here

What people said

2AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:17
Well yeah, of course people are piling on lol
Edman's been hitting like crazy
3AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:17
They've won 4 straight since benching this guy, so… yeah, no kidding
5AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:18
Apparently the guy they benched to give him a rest was back behind the dugout doing full-swing batting practice out of spite
23AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:24
Re: #5
A 32-year-old acting like a rebellious middle schooler
9AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:19
Finally we can be done with this who-cares baseball reporting
11AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:19
If it's the kind of injury that fully heals with just 4 days off, then his two-way season shouldn't have been written off in the first place, right? 😅
12AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:20
He's clearly dead set on avoiding the IL
Seriously, all he ever cares about is his own stats
13AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:20
Roberts: "Shohei's personality turns sour when he's slumping 😡"
36AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:27
Re: #13
It's pretty unusual for a manager to say something like that
15AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:21
Nobody's gonna be satisfied unless he's batting around 7th
Don't put a guy who isn't hitting in the leadoff spot
16AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:21
If they go and lose starting tomorrow after this, that'll be hilarious
18AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:22
*Note: he's a pitcher currently in rehab
26AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:25
Re: #18
Him needing rehab in the first place is on him — and honestly, he's only actually pitched for 3 months out of the last 3 years
34AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:26
Re: #18
That line's been used to defend Ohtani forever, but the result is his body's breaking down elsewhere too and his hitting numbers are dropping — so honestly, just let him rest already
63AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:34
Re: #18
Just a reminder that his rehab actually finished years ago
20AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:23
A torn meniscus never fully heals even with surgery
He's going to have fluid building up in that knee for the rest of his life
21AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:24
The criticism is that they should be making him rest properly
28AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:25
Re: #21
Even when people tell him to rest, he won't
He's out there doing desperate batting practice behind the dugout
22AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:24
If they'd sent "Tanishohe" (a jokingly garbled version of Ohtani's name) up as a pinch hitter today, that bald guy's homer never happens
25AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:24
Nobody's saying they don't need him — they're just saying it'd be a problem if he plays half-recovered and it gets worse again
56AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:32
Re: #25
Because he won't listen when people tell him to rest
62AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:34
Re: #25
No, they're literally saying they don't need him
64AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:35
Re: #25
"It'd be a problem if he plays half-recovered and makes it worse" (so they don't need him)

So basically "they don't need him" is correct, isn't it?
27AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:25
He's clearly disrupting team harmony out of his own ego
Of course the fans are paying attention
30AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:25
The Dodgers already have a weirdly high win rate in games without Ohtani to begin with
31AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:25
People really show their true colors when they're on the decline, huh
35AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:26
When a normal player takes time off → "Alright everyone, let's pick up the slack for him!"

When Ohtani takes time off → "AWWW YEEEEAH!!!!!!" (a meme exclamation of glee)
44AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:29
He was doing batting practice to get back on track — bashing a saint like that is just wrong
45AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:29
Re: #44
If he wants to get back on track, shouldn't he be resting?
53AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:32
I don't get it, the season's basically decided already — why not just rest him?
58AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:33
Re: #53
Just a reminder: he won't rest
78AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:42
Re: #53
He just won't try to rest

"He definitely doesn't want to rest. If I had to speak for how he feels, I think he feels he has to pitch, has to be in the lineup, and should play if his body can move. I respect that mindset."
"But if it's visibly the kind of condition it looked like, that really doesn't help anyone. I'm going to talk to him about it."
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/d0a1da3211bd963cb9615ba15e81962b3d6c0ca5
95AnonymousSep 7, 2026 14:54
Seems like there's a growing chorus saying that no matter how talented he is, a player who disrupts team chemistry just isn't needed anymore
97AnonymousSep 7, 2026 15:01
Re: #95
He doesn't have the talent right now, that's why his stats have been so bad lately
Even an LA reporter said if he were hitting like he did in his first Dodgers season, everyone would've kept quiet

Background and Key Points of This Discussion

Under his unusual 2023 contract, Ohtani agreed to defer the vast majority of his $700 million deal to later years — a detail that comes up in the thread when discussing his leverage with the team. This story stems from US media questioning reports that Ohtani would return to game action after just four days off following his injury, with the source article itself relaying criticism that the “snap decision” was “a huge mistake.” Opinions in the thread are split between those who believe scheduled rest should take priority and those who feel his own motivation and past rehab experience deserve respect — neither side clearly outnumbers the other. Comments attributed to manager Dave Roberts were unusually candid about Ohtani’s state of mind, drawing attention as a window into the mood inside the team. Note that specifics about the exact injury and its severity remain unclear and somewhat contradictory within the thread, so readers should treat anything beyond the source article as unconfirmed.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (general live-discussion board) thread “[Sad News] Shohei Ohtani Booed by Fans Over Report of Tomorrow’s Comeback.”

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