Shohei Ohtani advances a tightrope act in August as he blends a heavy two way workload with a keen eye on health. The Dodgers lean into his value as the engine of the lineup while tamping down innings as an onfield pitcher, a balancing act that comes amid a late season bullpen squeeze and a narrowing division lead. He pushes opportunities on the basepaths again, even as he inches toward pitching a fuller role, underscoring the dynamic pressure of maximizing two way production in real time.

Ohtani remains a top fantasy asset with his elite blend of power, speed and reliable two way production. Through 23 plus innings on the mound he sits with a 3.47 ERA and a near pain free return, while at the plate he thrives with a high on base clip and 43 homers, paired with 17 steals. His velocity and slider show standout indicators, including a 98.3 mph fastball and a 56.5 whiff rate on his slider, suggesting continued upside as he adapts to extended pitching appearances.

The Dodgers plan is methodical: protect Ohtani by avoiding excessive extra innings, rely on a shallow bullpen to cover extra frames, and structure daily prep around the pitcher hitter dichotomy. A one sheet scouting approach guides each start, and the mental shift on start days is real, with hitters and pitchers sharing load, aiming for sustainable, long term value rather than short term cliff diving. It is a delicate calculus but one the club believes is worth it given his unique impact.

In this context, fantasy rosters benefit when aligning Ohtani with a schedule that emphasizes his favorable start days and monitors inning caps. Even as his offensive output remains blazing, his pitching duties cap the upside on some lineups; savvy managers should balance rostering him with complementary bats and a bullpen friendly bullpen friendly schedule to maximize weekly fantasy returns.