Shohei Ohtani is in the middle of another superb season, maximizing his two-way skill set to have All-Star level numbers. At the plate, he’s having an MVP trajectory, and on the mound, he’s been hindered by finger issues on his throwing hand.
His June 27th start was the first sign, after Ohtani had to exit the game after 6.1 innings pitched, with 10 strikeouts tallied. The right-hander had been dealing with a cracked fingernail to go along with a blister, and in his most recent pair of starts, he allowed nine earned runs in 10 innings.
With the Angels pondering what to do with their superstar at the trade deadline, they have to push on with what to do with Ohtani and how to handle him going forward, but he is on track to make his next start, via Alden Gonzales of ESPN:
Shohei Ohtani, dealing with a troublesome finger during his past three trips to the pitcher’s mound, is still on track to make his next scheduled start on Friday versus the Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin said prior to Monday’s series opener against the New York Yankees.
Before the issues with his finger sprouted up in his June 27 start, from Opening Day through June 21, he had logged a 3.13 ERA, 3.96 FIP, with a .179 batting average allowed. He’d been remarkably consistent as the ace of the Angels’ starting rotation:
Ohtani typically throws his between-starts bullpen sessions the day before his outings, so there’s a chance his status could change after the team’s Thursday off-day. But Nevin said the blister and cracked fingernail are nowhere near as bad now as they were during Ohtani’s July 4 start and that the issue is not made any worse by gripping the bat while he is hitting.
“So far,” Nevin said, “Shohei’s good.”
The Angels need Ohtani to be in the lineup with either his bat, on the mound, or both. If they’re able to get his bat in the mix at the very least, he can impact a game like his two-run home run did against the New York Yankees on Monday.
Angels not ruling out Shohei Ohtani trade
After initially signing with the Angels as an international free agent in December 2017, but limited to the amount he could receive because of age and collective bargaining agreement restrictions, Ohtani agreed to a one-year, $30 million contract for the 2023 season to avoid arbitration.
Much speculation around the league is that Ohtani could, or should be dealt to another team ahead of the trade deadline, a topic that has engulfed the chatter in MLB.
Despite suggesting otherwise over recent weeks while they remained contenders, it now appears the Angels are at least going to be willing to field Ohtani trade offers.
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