(Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)
The last time Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani started a game as a pitcher was on August 23.
Likewise, the last time he took the field as a designated hitter was on September 3.
10 days have come and gone, and the 2021 (and likely 2023) AL MVP hasn’t appeared in a game.
He is out of the lineup again on Wednesday, per Angels insider Rhett Bollinger.
No Ohtani again for the #Angels pic.twitter.com/fY5izAbgSI
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) September 13, 2023
His absence as a pitcher stems from an elbow ligament injury he suffered in that last start.
The reason why he hasn’t played at all in the last 10 days is because he injured his oblique on a practice swing.
The Angels haven’t given any indications that they will place their prized two-way player on the injured list yet.
In fact, he was in Monday’s lineup initially, but was later scratched.
We are no doctors and don’t know the severity of the injury, but if he has been unable to play for 10 straight games, we would say that it wasn’t insignificant.
At this point, perhaps it’s best if the Angels just shut down Ohtani in an attempt not to keep testing his luck.
He has both a significant elbow injury and a very annoying oblique ailment, and those can get more severe if a player returns before he is fully healed.
The Angels aren’t playing for anything at this point.
Ohtani will test free agency after the World Series, and even though he will still break the record for largest contract ever signed in MLB, the elbow injury will cost him at least a few million because it’s possible, even likely, that he can’t pitch in 2024.
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