ANAHEIM, Calif. – Los Angeles Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani will not take the mound for Tuesday night's game against the New York Yankees in order to give his right hand extra time to heal.
Angels manager Joe Maddon also said outfielder Mike Trout is experiencing soreness in his right calf after running the bases on Saturday and that discussions about shutting down the three-time AL MVP for the rest of the season are rapidly approaching. Maddon hinted that it could happen in the next week or two.
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Ohtani was hit in his pitching hand by a 93 mph fastball from San Diego's Ryan Weathers while swinging during the first inning of Saturday's game against the Padres.
Maddon compared this situation to late last month, when Ohtani had a start pushed back a couple days after he took a foul ball off his right thumb in the dugout during a game against Colorado.
“It's just sore right now. It was going to be problematic if he pitched,” Maddon said before Monday's game.
Ohtani is 8-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 19 starts. He also leads the majors with 41 home runs and remains in the lineup in his usual spot as the designated hitter.
The patchwork Angels' pitching staff has four starters on the injured list. Right-hander Jaime Barria will start in place of Ohtani.
Trout has not played since May 17 after going on the injured list due to a right calf strain. The original prognosis was six to eight weeks, but Trout has been out of the lineup for over three months since sustaining the injury.
“We were very optimistic and then he came up sore. So we’re still keep going back to that,” Maddon said. “We’re probably getting closer to having to say something like not this year. But he still wants to continue to continue to fight and we’re going to honor his wishes.”
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