ANAHEIM, Calif. — The Los Angeles Angels placed Shohei Ohtani on the 10-day injured list on Saturday with an oblique injury and said he will not play again this season.
Ohtani’s locker was removed following the Angels’ 11-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers at home on Friday. There was a fully packed duffel bag for the All-Star Game in front of her, and almost all of his baseball equipment and personal belongings were no longer in his closet.
The Angels declined to say Friday whether his roster status has changed, or what the reason for the removal of the contents of his locker was. Los Angeles GM Perry Minasian said Saturday that Ohtani had an MRI at 4 p.m. PT on Friday and got the results around halftime, which is why his locker was full.
Ohtani, 29, has missed the last 11 games due to an oblique injury. Angels manager Phil Nevin said the star was present every day for every game, but never returned to the field. The injury was not serious, and there was initially no expectation that he would be included on the injured list.
Ohtani also suffered a tear in his elbow in the Champions League, which was revealed last month. While that would keep him from pitching, he continued to hit in the following days. Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balillo, told reporters last week that he believes some surgery is inevitable for Ohtani. But he refused to go into details.
Minassian said Saturday that he expects Ohtani will have a procedure for his UCL surgery soon, but he doesn’t know the procedure.
Ohtani has put together one of the greatest seasons ever. He posted a 1.066 OPS at the plate, along with a 3.14 ERA on the mound.
He will be a free agent after the season. Ohtani may have played his last game in an Angels uniform. The team still intends to pursue Ohtani, who will be on the field Saturday and during the final homestand, in free agency.
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