ANAHEIM – Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani will be limited to about 75 pitches and will not hit the lineup on his return to the mound against the Rangers on Tuesday night at Angel Stadium, manager Joe Maddon said Monday.
Ohtani is set to make his second start of the season after having a blister on his right middle finger during his lone start of the year against the White Sox on April 4. He threw a light bullpen session on April 12 before throwing more aggressive ones. on Wednesdays and Saturdays without bandages on his finger.
But with Ohtani’s limited pitch count on Tuesday, the Angels decided they would not use him as a batter in the same game he starts, so they can use a designated hitter for the entire game. Ohtani batted second when he started on the mound against the White Sox and hit a homerun in his first at bat, while striking out seven batters over 4 2/3 innings and giving up one earned run.
“He’ll be at that point of 75, but you have to watch and see with that blister,” Maddon said. “You just have to pay attention. Can be more, can be less. He’s feeling pretty good. With the uncertainty, I’m not going to hit him tomorrow, in case something goes wrong early and then we’ll have to clamber with a short sofa for the rest of the night. “
As for Wednesday’s game, Maddon said it is too early to know if Ohtani will be in the lineup the day after his start. But he was lined up against the Rangers on Monday and it’s up to him whether he wants to serve as DH on Wednesday.
“We talked about that and I’m waiting for his opinion,” Maddon said. He may want to wait until after he wants to say something. And if it does, that’s fine too. “
Ohtani went 0-for-4 at the plate in Monday’s 6-4 defeat to the Rangers, saying he is ready for his return to the mound, but he won’t know how the blister will react until he goes full blast throws. He also said he hoped to be back in the lineup on Wednesday, but it’s too early to know for sure.
“There are no problems at all from now on,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “It could be a different story once we get to playtime, but from now on there are no problems. My blister was quite large and affected my four-seater when I hit the seams. I used to get blisters on the inside of my fingers from the splitters. But it did not come from the splitter. ”
Rendon starts light baseball activity
Third baseman Anthony Rendon has been eliminated since April 10 with a left groin strain, but he teeed off, threw and did some light field work on Monday. Rendon is eligible to return from the injured list on Wednesday, but it seems likely he will need more time.
“He’s getting closer,” said Maddon. ‘I’m not hearing anything negative at the moment. It is all progressing positively, which is a good thing. “
Maddon, however, said he has no official timeline for when Rendon could be back, but the club hopes it will be soon. With Rendon out, Luis Rengifo started at third base on Friday and again on Monday.
“I don’t think it’s much further, but I’ll wait for him to finish his activities,” Maddon said. He looked good, but he didn’t really push it. We have to get together with the training group, of course, but I don’t think it’s going too far. “
Angel facts
• The Angels held light practice on Sunday after seeing their games against Minnesota on Saturday and Sunday were postponed due to COVID-19 issues with the Twins. Righthanded Alex Cobb and left Jose Quintana both faced batters to try to stay sharp. Quintana was scheduled to start on Saturday, but will now climb the mound against the Rangers on Wednesday, while Cobb will start the series opener against the Astros in Houston on Thursday.
• Right-hander Dexter Fowler met with Dr. Neal ElAttrache to schedule his surgery to repair his torn ACL in his left knee. Fowler will undergo the season close on April 27. He is expected to have a recovery time of six to nine months.