"You can't put Tanner Scott out there" - MLB analyst suggests bold Shohei Ohtani plan for Dodgers in postseason

With the playoffs on the horizon, Shohei Ohtani and the LA Dodgers are once again looking to challenge for the World Series. However, the eight-time world champions are far from their best at the moment.

One of the reasons for their recent troubles is their misfiring bullpen. Tanner Scott, who was expected to nail down the closer role for the team, has struggled mightily for consistency, forcing manager Dave Roberts to rethink his game plan.

According to analyst Trevor Plouffe, using Ohtani as a closer might be the best course of action for the Dodgers at the moment. Plouffe explained his thoughts on Tuesday's episode of "Baseball Today."

"I think the way they approach it in the wild-card round would be, Yamamoto, Snell, Glasnow as starters," Plouffe said (Timestamp: 5:30). "I think we have a Clayton Kershaw kind of piggyback situation. In my mind, this is what I would do, I'd have Shohei Ohtani ready to come in, put the fire out at the end of games.

"They can't close games out right now. Shohei's the guy to do that. ... You can't put Tanner Scott out there right now, you can't. ... This is not about him right now, it's about the team, and the best chance to win is not having him on the back end of games right now."

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Future Hall of Famer Clayton Kershaw commends Shohei Ohtani's 'impressive' ability on the mound

Speaking to insider Chris Rose on Monday's episode of "Dugout Discussions," Dodgers legend Clayton Kershaw talked about Shohei Ohtani's exceptional quality as a pitcher.

"He is really good," Kershaw said (Timestamp: 11:05). "He's really, really good, yeah, shocker. Last game, he hadn't really thrown a curveball, (then) he decided to throw it like 25 times. People don't do that. You have what you have, Shohei just invents a new pitch and throws it 30 times. It's just impressive to watch.

"There's not enough superlatives to say. He's the only guy in the world that's doing what he's doing."

In 2024, Ohtani won the NL MVP award and helped the Dodgers win the World Series. Having enjoyed yet another MVP-caliber season in 2025, fans will be hoping the Japanese superstar can repeat last year's exploits and help his team successfully defend baseball's biggest prize.