The Los Angeles Dodgers have seen some stellar play from their starting rotaion lately, but the bullpen hasn’t seen the same success.

This has begged the question of using three-time MVP Shohei Ohtani in relief this October, but according to manager Dave Roberts, the plan is still looking like Ohtani remaining in his role as a starter.

“Yeah, we do,” Roberts said when asked about the plan. “Could it change down the road in the postseason? Possibly. But right now we see him as a starter.”

Just because that is the current plan, Roberts didn’t want to box Ohtani into the rotation for the remainder of the postseason.

“I don’t think it has to,” Roberts said. “I think ideally, how we run things, we like to give a run of show for certain things, roles, before you do it in the postseason. But he has done it before in the (World Baseball) Classic.

“In the postseason, there’s a lot of things that happen that are unforeseen.”

As unprecedented as this move would be, there is also a certain level of risk attached to it.

If Ohtani starts the game, as he has been across his last 12 appearances on the bump, he can still freely bat even after he is taken out of the game. If Ohtani starts the game as a hitter and later enters in relief, he wouldn’t be able to stay as a batter after being replaced on the mound.

With the kind of production Ohtani has been displaying lately, the Dodgers would have to ensure that Ohtani’s spot in the order wouldn’t come up again if this were the case.

Since September 1, Ohtani is batting .333 with an OPS of 1.163. He already has four home runs and eight RBIs in that span and even has a stolen base.

Unfortunately, Ohtani isn’t seeing the same success on the mound. In his last three starts, he has allowed six earned runs across those 12.2 innings of work. He does have 17 strikeouts to just three walks in that time, but with Ohtani being a major part of the Dodgers’ postseason pitching plans, the hope is that things will trend more in the direction of where his bat is going.