(Photo credit score: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports)
The dreadful finish to the 2023 season for the Los Angeles Angels and Shohei Ohtani grew to become a full-blown nightmare on Wednesday, because the membership introduced the two-way star has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow and won’t pitch once more this season.
Making issues worse, the Angels additionally will put middle fielder Mike Trout again on the injured listing after only a two-day return.
Speaking with the media after his membership was swept in a doubleheader by the visiting Cincinnati Reds, Angels common supervisor Perry Minasian stated Ohtani underwent an MRI examination between video games, with the outcomes confirming the tear.
“He won’t pitch the rest of the year,” Minasian stated. “We’re going to get a second opinion and go from there. But it’s basically day to day.”
Minasian wouldn’t commit as to whether Ohtani would want surgical procedure. The right-hander began the primary sport of the doubleheader however left after 26 pitches with what was initially known as arm fatigue.
With a 2-2 depend in opposition to the Reds’ Christian Encarnacion-Strand, Ohtani got here off the mound and gave the impression to be in ache. Manager Phil Nevin and the coaching employees got here out and eliminated Ohtani from the sport.
An inning earlier, Ohtani hit his major-league-leading forty fourth house run. He additionally performed within the second sport, serving because the designated hitter and going 1-for-5 with a double.
The harm — particularly if Tommy John surgical procedure is required — might be an enormous blow for the 29-year-old Japanese star. He is about to develop into a free agent after the season and was broadly anticipated to land the most important contract in main league historical past.
The three-time All-Star and 2021 American League MVP was having maybe his biggest season but, main the majors in house runs, triples (seven), slugging proportion (.664) and OPS (1.069). He additionally has 22 doubles and 91 RBIs.
On the mound, he’s 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA whereas holding batters to a .183 common. Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgical procedure following the 2018 season and performed in 106 video games the next season (although he didn’t pitch or play within the subject in any respect, solely serving as a chosen hitter).
Also throughout the news convention, Minasian informed reporters that Trout, who did not play both sport on Wednesday, could be positioned again on the IL. Trout missed 38 video games following surgical procedure to restore a damaged bone in his hand. He got here again on Tuesday and went 1-for-4.
The three-time AL MVP hasn’t performed in additional than 140 video games since 2016. This yr, he’s batting .263 with an .858 OPS, 18 house runs and 44 RBIs in 82 video games.
With the opportunity of shedding Ohtani this offseason looming over the Angels all season, the membership determined it was shut sufficient to a playoff spot to carry onto the star after which added gamers on the commerce deadline. But Los Angeles has fallen aside since then, going 5-16 in August and ending Wednesday 10 1/2 video games out of a wild-card spot.
–Field Level Media