ANAHEIM – Angels star slugger and pitcher Shohei Ohtani will be capped at about 75 pitches and will not be part of the lineup as a player on Tuesday night’s return against Rangers at Angel Stadium, Monday’s manager Joe Maddon said.
Ohtani is scheduled to make his second start of the season after dealing with a blister on the middle finger of his right hand in his only outing of the year against the White Sox on April 4th. He threw a light session from the bullpen on April 12 before making a more aggressive Wednesday and Saturday without a finger tape.
With Ohtani below the pitching limit on Tuesday, the Angels have decided that they will not use him as a hitter in the same game they start, so they can use a designated player for the entire engagement. Ohtani hit second when he started on the mound against the White Sox, hitting a home run in his first half, while hitting seven in 4.1 innings, allowing a run to win.
“It will be capped at about 75 pitches, but we’ll have to wait and see what happens to the blister,” Maddon said. “You just have to be careful. It could be more, it could be less. It feels very good. For uncertainty, I will not hit him tomorrow, if something does not go well early and we have to deal with a short bench for the rest of the night. “
Regarding Wednesday’s match, Maddon said it is too early to know if Ohtani will be in line the day after it starts. But he was in line Monday night and it depends on him if he wants to be BD on Wednesday.
“I’ve talked about it and I’m waiting to see what you think about it,” Maddon said. “Maybe he wants to wait until he throws to say something. And if that’s the case, that’s fine. “