The Los Angeles Angels have had Shohei Ohtani in their lineup as the designated hitter almost every game. However, it has been almost two weeks since he last pitched in a game, as a blister held him out of his last scheduled start.
Throughout the week, the Angels did not know whether or not Ohtani would be able to make his following scheduled start, which would be during this weekend’s upcoming three-game set against the Minnesota Twins. Angels manager Joe Maddon did not want to commit to anything with Ohtani, as blisters can be tricky.
There was a bit of good news during the Angels 1-2 series loss to the Kansas City Royals, as Ohtani threw a 23-pitch bullpen session, according to Jack Harris of The L.A. Times:
Shohei Ohtani just threw about 24 pitches in the bullpen. Looked like it was more intense than the other day. Will double-check with Joe Maddon soon, but it didn't look like he had a bandage on#Angels pic.twitter.com/FImEUtq9CU
— Jack Harris (@Jack_A_Harris) April 14, 2021
The Angels gave some more insight after the session, saying it was 23 pitches without a bandage over the blister, but that his status moving forward is still unclear.
#Angels say this was indeed without a band-aid (and it was 23 pitches, not 24). They'll see how he feels tomorrow before deciding what will be his next step. https://t.co/BVxPWuiDfg
— Jack Harris (@Jack_A_Harris) April 14, 2021
Even though Maddon and the Angels did not give any indication as to whether or not he can pitch this weekend, it is still a positive development that he was able to throw 23 pitches without a bandage. This helps to show that he is one step closer to returning to the mound.
The Angels want to let Ohtani play as much as possible and unleash him fully. However, it’s clear they still want to be as cautious as possible, especially this early in the season. There is no need to rush him back into pitching if there’s any chance of his blister sticking around.
Ohtani impressing at the plate
While he recovers from the blister and doesn’t pitch, Ohtani is proving that he can still be of immense value to the Angels with just his bat. He has been arguably the team’s best hitter in the first two weeks of the season — on par with Mike Trout — and has hit the ball harder than any player in all of baseball.
