LOS ANGELES — As Shohei Ohtani strode up to the plate Monday, Michael Bublé’s voice crooned over the Dodger Stadium speakers as always. But after four games out of the lineup, the song seemed to be asking fans to believe:

“I’m feeling ... good.”

Ohtani at least looked more comfortable in the batter’s box than he did last Wednesday, when pain in his biceps had him shaking his right arm. But his performance at the plate still remains in a slump — he went 0 for 3 with a walk in the Los Angeles Dodgers’ 6-3 win over the Cincinnati Reds.

When Dodgers manager Dave Roberts went over the weekend plan with Ohtani, he circled Monday as a potential date for him to return to the lineup after four days off to address lingering aches and pains, including a recurring biceps problem.

Roberts, however, will continue to keep a close eye on Ohtani.

“I don’t want to say it’s day to day, but I am very curious to see how he comes out of tonight to then make the decision for tomorrow and ensuing days,” Roberts said before the game. “We’ve put a pin in throwing and just having him focus on the hitting, the running, keeping his legs good and doing whatever it takes to help us win.”

By “put a pin in” it, Roberts meant that the Dodgers didn’t have a timetable for when Ohtani might throw again, making it likely that he won’t pitch again this year. But the Dodgers aren’t ready to fully rule it out.

Roberts said he hoped tabling throwing, at least for now, could help Ohtani’s offensive production.

“That’s one part of the thought, to sort of take the pitching off of his plate and really try to let him lock in on being a hitter and get on track,” Roberts said. “Because the last couple of weeks he just hasn’t been himself in the box.”

Ohtani wasn’t available before the game to give his own explanation about his recent slump, and he hasn’t addressed reporters in three weeks, despite repeated requests. He tallied only two hits in the six games before Roberts sat him.

“A lot of it was overall body break, which was needed,” Roberts said. “I think that what happens is, when a player gets taxed physically, the mentally is affected as well.

“I think we got to a point where it all sort of came to a head, where I do think these last four days, giving his body a reset, giving his mind a reset — anything can happen (Monday) as far as performance, but I’m hoping that he’s just in a better state body and mind tonight.”

How will Roberts be able to tell if Ohtani is doing better?

“Just the swing, the barrel accuracy, how his mechanics look,” Roberts said. “Hopefully we don’t see that wincing we saw (last Wednesday). And just quality of at-bat in the end.”

Ohtani flew out in his first at-bat, and then struck out on a Chase Burns slider below the zone. He struck out again against Brandon Williamson to end the fifth before reaching base in the seventh on a walk.

The Dodgers caught a break with Burns — considered a top-5 National League Cy Young candidate — since the Reds had him on a pitch limit in an effort to manage his workload.

Burns held the Dodgers hitless through three innings, striking out Ohtani as his last act before handing duties to the bullpen.

Dodgers starter Emmet Sheehan, recalled on Monday as the Dodgers optioned right-hander Bobby Miller, gave up a home run to Elly De La Cruz in the first before out-dueling the Reds bullpen. He gave up three hits, one run and struck out 10 over 52/3 innings.

Against Williamson in the fifth inning, Teoscar Hernández lined a leadoff single into left field. After Alex Call was hit in the right foot with a pitch, Miguel Rojas chopped a grounder to Reds third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes, whose errant throw allowed two runs to score as Rojas dashed to third.

The next inning, Hernández punctuated his recent hot streak by lining a three-run homer into the Dodgers’ bullpen — with the highest exit velocity (112.6 mph) of any ball he’s put in play since 2024, according to Statcast.

Although Dodgers relievers Seth Halverson and Jack Dreyer each gave up a run, the Dodgers tacked on insurance in the eighth inning with a bases-loaded sacrifice fly from pinch-hitting Will Smith. And the team extended its winning streak to five games.

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