Angels Place Shohei Ohtani on Disabled List With UCL Sprain
Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani has been placed on the disabled list with a Grade 2 sprain of the UCL in his pitching elbow, the team announced Friday.
Ohtani underwent a platelet-rich plasma injection and stem cell injection in Los Angeles on Thursday. The UCL is the ligament that is repaired with Tommy John surgery if it is torn. The team will re-evaluate the injury after three weeks.
Ohtani left his start on Wednesday after four innings with what the team said was a blister. There was no indication of an issue with his elbow.
The Angels initially expected to have Ohtani pitch every seven days, as he did in Japan, but he skipped a scheduled start against the Yankees and fellow Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka in the last week of May due to what manager Mike Scioscia called “workload management.”
Ohtani has a .289 batting average and .907 OPS in 129 plate appearances and a 3.10 ERA and 1.135 WHIP over nine starts as a pitcher.
Ohtani’s prowess at the plate and on the mound have thrust him to the forefront of the American League Rookie of the Year debate, where he and Yankees infielder Gleyber Torres are considered the early favorites to win the award.
