Los Angeles Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani missed his 11th straight game Friday and appeared ready to miss more, as his locker was cleared out once the game ended.
The next morning, the team announced that Ohtani is on the 10-day injured list and will miss the rest of the season. General Manager Perry Minasian is expected to elaborate at some point, as the Angels attempt to end a three-game skid against the Tigers beginning at 9:07 p.m. ET.
The Angels announced that Ohtani is on the 10-day IL with an oblique injury and he will miss the rest of the season.
That’s the first piece of the story. Perry Minasian expected to fill in the rest of the blanks this afternoon.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) September 16, 2023
Amid Ohtani’s uncertain future in Los Angeles, reporters noticed the absence of his personal items following the Angels’ 11-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Friday. Some of his things were even in the trash, according to the Los Angeles Times.
When asked about the 29-year-old’s status, Angels officials reportedly gathered for 30 minutes. They eventually told the reporters that everyone, including Perry Minasian, wanted to hold off on an update until Saturday.
Ohtani’s pitching season ended Aug. 23, when he tore the UCL in his right elbow. He has been out of the lineup completely since Sept. 4 due to a sore oblique.
He becomes a free agent after the World Series. The Angels added lineup reinforcements at the trade deadline in an effort to help Ohtani reach the postseason for the first time and maybe even convince him to stay in Anaheim — to no avail.
Earlier this month, Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, said the Angels star would need a procedure at some point but didn’t provide a timeline or any other details.
Putting Ohtani’s locker clean-out in the context of a potential upcoming surgery would make sense. But an announcement normally would’ve been made beforehand. Hence the initial confusion.
What Balelo made clear is that Ohtani plans to play next season.
“Shohei’s gonna be in somebody’s lineup next year DH-ing when the bell rings,” Balelo said “… There’s not one thing he can’t do right now when it comes to DH-ing. He can lift, he can run, he can slide, take violent swings. He can do anything he wants right now. It doesn’t affect the problem in question.”
Ohtani was in the clubhouse before Friday’s game and worked in the batting cage to determine if he could play, according to multiple reports. Now, it seems likely he has already played his final game in an Angels uniform.
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