Freddie Freeman's knee, Shohei Ohtani's bat and the Dodgers' October calculus

CINCINNATI (AP) — Freddie Freeman wasn't in the Los Angeles Dodgers lineup for Monday night's game against the Cincinnati Reds as he deals with right knee soreness.

Even though the first baseman hasn't been in the lineup for three of the last five games, manager Dave Roberts said putting Freeman on the 10-day injured list to get him ready for the postseason — which would be similar to what they did with Shohei Ohtani — isn't an option at this point.

“I don’t think (the rest) needs to be 10 days, but could it be more than one? That’s a fair question,” Roberts said. “I’ve got to kind of talk to the training staff, Freddie, and ultimately make that decision. But I don’t think IL makes sense.”

Roberts said he didn't think Freeman would have nagging problems with the knee during the postseason if the knee can be managed properly. Freeman is batting .293 but is 3 for his last 30 with nine strikeouts.

The two-time defending World Series champions came into Monday night with a magic number of four to clinch their 13th NL West title in 14 years. Their bigger concern is making sure they clinch one of the top two seeds and a first-round bye.

The Dodgers (90-59) came into Monday with a 2 1/2-game lead over Atlanta for the second seed. Milwaukee (93-57) has the NL's top mark.

“Given where our guys are health wise, to get that week would be huge. We've still got to play well to finish out the season to get to that point,” Roberts said.

Ohtani, who has been on the 15-day IL since Sept. 8 due to right biceps inflammation, is to hit off a tee in Los Angeles on Tuesday. It will be his first swings since going on the IL. Roberts said Ohtani has been lifting, working out and getting treatment the past couple days.

With Ohtani not on the seven-game trip, there has definitely been a different vibe around the clubhouse.

“It feels different because he’s such a presence when he’s on the field,” Roberts said. “The last series wasn’t indicative, but I think that we’re playing good baseball for the most part. We know we’re better with Shohei. Probably the fans are disappointed, but I don’t think we really felt it.”

The bigger concern might be with reliever Edwin Díaz, who has allowed six earned runs over 3 1/3 innings in four rehab outings with Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Díaz is not only dealing with neck inflammation, but also control issues. Díaz signed a $59 million, three-year contract during the offseason and has struggled in his first year in Los Angeles.

The right-hander will have another outing on Wednesday, but Roberts did leave open the possibility that Díaz could be left off postseason rosters.

"He needs to pitch better. It hasn’t been good,” Roberts said. “The baseball card looks great. But it’s like, where we’re at, there’s got to be something for us to be able to hang our hat on. And he knows that. He wants to pitch well.”

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