Window tightens for Shohei Ohtani to get ready for playoffs

There have been many of them for Ohtani, who's missed the past 12 games while dealing with issues to his left knee and right biceps. He's expected to be back in the Dodgers' lineup in the team's upcoming series against the San Diego Padres . There will be only five games left in the regular season.

Because of Ohtani's lingering knee issues, the Dodgers have shut him down from pitching. But they'd still like him to bat – and a swing that has generated a team-leading 30 home runs this season and 263 over the last six seasons.

In his last 24 games before going on the injured reserve list, however, Ohtani hit .198 (19-for-96) with 34 strikeouts.