LOS ANGELES — Shohei Ohtani took batting practice on the field at Dodger Stadium this week, which is rare for him.

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So what did Ohtani need to see?

“I mean,” hitting coach Aaron Bates said this week, “he did hit a couple balls up off the scoreboard.”

That’s an encouraging development for the ailing star as the Los Angeles Dodgers open their postseason today against the Atlanta Braves in Game 1 of the National League Division Series.

Ohtani confirmed the upbeat vibes Friday during a news conference at a Dodgers workout, saying he’s pleased with his mechanics at the plate.

“It feels really good overall,” he said through interpreter Will Ireton. “I do feel like my swing is in a better place, feels smooth, and just a little tweaks here and there, and I’ll be ready for tomorrow.”

A first-round bye allowed Ohtani, who was limited to eight games in the club’s September push, to recuperate, and to try something different. When he took BP on the field instead of hitting against the Trajekt Arc machine, Ohtani looked like himself again.

Injuries have marred Ohtani’s year, resulting in the worst offensive season of his Los Angeles Dodgers tenure. So in his session, Ohtani punished baseballs to remind himself he still can.

Maybe it was that simple. There may be no more pressing questions for the reigning back-to-back World Series champions than these — what version of Ohtani will they get at the plate, and did their attempt to triage Ohtani’s two-way season cost them the best version of Ohtani, the hitter, this October?

Friday’s session was just his second time speaking to the media in 46 days.

For more than a month, Ohtani’s health and status have been a guessing game, as he dealt with left knee and right biceps (and eventually neck) injuries. He spoke with reporters in mid-August as he was working toward a return to the big-league mound for the first time since July 3. That return never happened, and Ohtani didn’t speak again until Sept. 7, in what would be his final game before landing on the injured list for the first time as a Dodger.

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All information on Ohtani’s status has been funneled through manager Dave Roberts and the front office, which can become a game of telephone. President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman was candid last month, acknowledging that Ohtani is “not as awesome” at divulging the full truth on how he is feeling.

Ohtani addressed the communication issue Friday.

“I think the discussion became more about, like, what’s best for the team,” he said. “Is it something that I can play through, and if that’s best for the team, sure. But I think we both came to an understanding where the decision to be on the IL came from the fact that it’s probably best for the team for me to recover and be able to focus on the postseason.”

Ohtani’s bat has removed some of the guesswork. He wound up with a .745 OPS over his final 35 games, including five games after his IL stint in late September that were essentially a hastened rehab assignment. That is his worst stretch over that many games since 2022, the last time Ohtani got through a full two-way season healthy.

It’s unclear whether surgery is in Ohtani’s future.

“I haven’t been able to get a good grasp of the root cause of all this,” he said. “I think that process is going to happen during the off-season when I’m going to have a little bit more time to be able to address it. But as of now, it’s something I’m just going to have to manage.”

The Dodgers do not need Ohtani to pitch. The dream of him returning to the mound in 2026 was shelved long ago. They do need him to be a presence in the lineup.

That means getting his swing right. Nothing physical is limiting Ohtani’s swing, Bates said this week.

“The physical part, he’s kind of moving past that,” Bates said. “Now it’s just getting the timing against different speeds, when he wants to get his move off, that sort of thing — kind of the usual stuff hitters go through as opposed to him navigating trying to achieve the physical components. But it was really good the last few days.”

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The Dodgers sure hope that is the case. Only history is on the line.