While it appeared at the time that Shohei Ohtani had suffered a bad injury on Sunday, it sounds like the Los Angeles Angels have averted a disaster, at least for now.
Ohtani was a designated hitter for the Angels Sunday in a game against the Chicago White Sox on Sunday when he was suddenly pulled for a pinch-hitter in the ninth inning. The Angels announced that he was removed from the game for right groin tightness.
While the Angels won the game 6-5, there were some serious concerns that this could lead to Ohtani missing time. At the very least, he could miss his next scheduled pitching start. However, the initial reports out of the locker room sounded positive.
When discussing the injury, however, Shohei told reporters that not only is the injury minimal but he plans on playing on Monday.
So the removal from the game seems to have been more precautionary than anything. Angels manager Joe Maddon told reporters that his star might have tweaked his groin running to first in the seventh inning and they didn’t want to aggravate it further.
The Angels want Ohtani available as much as possible. He’s currently hitting .228 with four home runs, 12 RBIs, and four stolen bases this season. On the mound, he’s 2-2 with a 4.19 ERA and 30 strikeouts.
The update that the Angels pitcher/hitter will likely continue business as usual was music to a lot of people’s ears in MLB circles.
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About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.