Ohtani Likely Done Pitching For Season, Day-to-Day at DH

Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani in 2018
Shohei Ohtani with the Los Angeles Angels in 2018. Photo by Peter Joneleit/CSM/REX/Shutterstock (9635290f)

Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani is expected to be sidelined from pitching for 4-6 weeks after an MRI showed that he suffered a grade 1-2 strain in his right throwing arm. With the shortened season, this likely means that he will not throw again in 2020.

Ohtani, a superstar in Japan, was expected to be the best two-way player since Babe Ruth pitched and played outfield in the 1910s. After Tommy John surgery shut down his season last year, he managed to make two disappointing starts in 2020, in which he posted an incredibly inflated 37.80 ERA, before shoulder discomfort and a drop in velocity ended his latest start on Sunday.

Shohei remains active on the Angels roster for the series beginning on Tuesday in Seattle and is able to play at DH if the team decides that rest is not needed. In six games at the plate, he is batting .148 with two homers and 7 RBIs- all at DH.

After the newest setback, baseball will have to wait another year to see if Ohtani will be able play at a high level from both sides of the field. Highly touted as a two way player, many hoped that he could approach Ruth’s dominance from the mound and plate in those short few years more than a century ago, but this seems more and more unlikely as time passes.