While the race for the leading home run getter of the season has intensified over the last few weeks, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani will take the plate on Friday to increase his NL MVP odds.

According to Jesse Rogers of ESPN, one AL West pitcher, Mark Leiter Jr. of the Athletics, said that the Dodgers would not "miss a beat" if Ohtani weren't in the lineup, amid his defense of PCA as the NL MVP this season.

Shohei Ohtani’s game-worn cleats sold for a record price, smashing Michael Jordan’s $93,000 baseball footwear record.

While the Dodgers have been in a bit of funk this month, the market for memorabilia belonging to their best player has still remained red hot.

Shohei Ohtani is slowly recovering from his knee injury, which is crucial for the Los Angeles Dodgers at this point in the season.