Aftermath of a side injury…the timing quagmire of returning to play
By Yoon-seo Park = Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels has been out of the starting lineup for nine consecutive games. Questions are mounting about when he will return.
Ohtani missed the game against the Baltimore Orioles on May 5 (KST) due to a right side injury, and was out of the starting lineup for nine consecutive games until the Seattle Mariners on May 13.
The day before, Ohtani was included in the starting lineup for the first time in eight games against Seattle, but did not play. Ohtani’s absence was finalized when the Angels modified their lineup. His status remains a question mark.
Angels manager Phil Nevin told MLB.com, “We went with a lineup without Ohtani today. But at some point, he’s going to tell me he’s ready to play. At that point, he’ll tell me he’s ready to play, and I’ll put him in.”
“I was confident that Ohtani was fine on Tuesday (Dec. 12), but when he warmed up and swung at the batting cage, he wasn’t 100 percent. We told him that he can’t play yet.”스포츠토토
This season, Ohtani went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 games as a pitcher and batted .304 with 44 home runs, 95 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 135 games as a hitter. The Angels are 16 games away from the end of the season. It will be interesting to see if Ohtani can add to his stats upon his return.
The Angels wrap up their three-game road trip on April 14 against Seattle. On the 16th, they begin a three-game series at home against the Detroit Tigers.