Shohei Ohtani gets a hit in his return, but Dodgers fall to the Padres

It wasn't flashy. But considering it was his first at-bat in more than two weeks, in a tough matchup no less, it was a promising sign.

The good news quickly dried up for the Dodgers after that, as they fell to the Padres 5-1 , missing a chance to clinch a first-round bye with a win. But Ohtani's return was still significant, and the success of his end-of-season tune-up will have playoff implications.

The Dodgers activated Ohtani, who went one-for-four Wednesday, from the 15-day IL before the game and optioned rookie Josue De Paula to triple A. De Paula is still under consideration for the National League Division Series roster as a bat off the bench.