One round of the playoffs down, two to go, and Shohei Ohtani still looks nothing like Shohei Ohtani.

The Dodgers have moved him around their lineup almost on a game-by-game basis, as if they’re looking for a place to hide him without embarrassing him. If they really believe that “it’s going to click for him” at some point, as president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said the other night, they have a strange way of showing it.

Statistically, Ohtani was in an even worse place last October, as he batted .121 over an eight-game stretch early in the postseason. The Dodgers kept Ohtani in his customary leadoff spot and he blasted three home runs in Game 4 of the National League Championship Series. He went on to homer three more times in the World Series. Sticking by Ohtani was an easy decision then, as the Dodgers were certain his problems were mechanical and not physical.

As much as Friedman and others have claimed that’s also the case this year, how they have used him indicates they are exaggerating, if not downright lying, about how confident they are about the health of his right arm and left knee.

Ohtani could also be experiencing discomfort in other areas of his body.

Last month, before Ohtani was placed on the injured list, he was known to be dealing with discomfort in his hip and neck. This week, in his final at-bat in Game 3 of the NL Division Series against the Atlanta Braves, he grabbed his lower back after fouling off a pitch.

Heading into the NL Championship Series against the Milwaukee Brewers, Ohtani is 2 for 13 without any extra-base hits in this postseason.

So, what now? 

What do the Dodgers have to do with Ohtani?

The simple answer: Nothing different.

No need to drop him any further than fourth or fifth in the lineup. No need to replace him as the starting designated hitter. No need to shut him down. 

Keep running him out there – but not because manager Dave Roberts said that Ohtani is “going to come to life.” Ohtani last homered on Aug. 18, and it would be unrealistic to count on him to start launching balls into the stands again.

Here’s what Ohtani is doing: He’s reaching base.

He was on base at least once in every one of the four games of the NLDS. In 16 plate appearances, he walked twice and got on base a total of five times.

That’s an incredibly low bar for a four-time MVP, but that’s not how Ohtani should be judged right now. Rather, he has to be evaluated as one of the team’s 26 active players.

For a pitching-dependent team that isn’t expected to score runs in bunches – they averaged 3.5 runs per game in the NLDS – Ohtani is contributing enough offensively. He might be missing hittable pitches and reaching for too many that are outside of the strike zone, but opposing pitchers continue to treat him with a certain level of respect. That’s worth something, and it would be naive to think replacing him with Josue De Paula would represent an upgrade.

In the series-clinching win over the Braves on Wednesday, Ohtani drew a second-inning walk against starter Tyler Mahle, then stole second base. A resulting errant throw by Braves catcher Sean Murphy allowed Ohtani to advance to third base, from which he was able to score when shortstop Maurico Dubón dropped a popup by Max Muncy in shallow left field.

The run tied the game, 1-1. 

If Ohtani hadn’t scored, the game would have taken on an entirely different feel, as the Dodgers would have spent the night chasing the Braves instead of attempting to just wear them down.

In the game before that, Ohtani reached base on a catcher’s interference call to load the bases against Chris Sale. The Dodgers failed to score that inning, as Miguel Rojas lined out for the third out, but the plate appearance was nonetheless productive in that it elevated Sale’s pitch count and stressed the former Cy Young Award winner.

Sale, who pitched a complete-game shutout against the Dodgers in late August, was removed from the game after just five innings.

So, there’s nothing wrong with Friedman’s insistence that Ohtani will continue playing in the upcoming NLCS against the Brewers.

Whether Ohtani is hitting or not, the best version of the Dodgers’ lineup has him in it. 

And while he might be incapable of being a consistent threat in these playoffs, who’s to say he won’t run into a pitch in a critical moment? 

At this point, his chances aren’t any worse than any of his potential replacements.