Shohei Ohtani is on track to return to the Dodgers' lineup on Wednesday, manager Dave Roberts said, giving the two-way superstar barely five regular-season games to find his timing before the playoffs begin.

Ohtani has been sidelined roughly two weeks with lingering knee and biceps issues, according to NBC Sports' injury report, which said Roberts indicated the 32-year-old "should be expected to return from the injured list and join the Dodgers lineup on Wednesday." He's been working through at-bats on a Trajekt pitching machine to stay sharp during his absence.

The timing matters: by his own standards, Ohtani is having an uncharacteristically ordinary year. He's hitting .277 with a .902 OPS across 502 at-bats, on pace to miss 50 home runs and 100 RBIs in a single season for the first time since joining the Dodgers — a step down after two MVP-caliber campaigns since his move from the Angels.

Reinforcements Arriving Just in Time

Ohtani isn't the only piece of the roster coming back together. Outfielder Andy Pages was activated ahead of Tuesday's series opener against the Padres after a month out with a fractured left hand, and reliever Roki Sasaki returned Monday after dealing with blister issues, working in one-inning stints as he auditions for a spot in the postseason bullpen. Both returns are expected to push rookie Josue De Paula back into a reserve role.

Not everything is trending up: starter Blake Snell is nursing left groin tightness and is expected to skip his next regular turn in the rotation, instead lining up for one more tune-up start over the weekend before the playoffs open.

Los Angeles has already locked up its postseason spot and enters October as one of the favorites to return to the World Series, but with the roster only now coming back to full strength in the season's final week, how much rhythm Ohtani and company can find in a handful of games remains an open question heading into the playoffs.