The Los Angeles Angels have placed two-way star Shohei Ohtani on the DL. But while the outlook doesn’t seem great, the club does seem to think he’ll return at some point in 2018.
Source: #Angels cautiously optimistic Shohei Ohtani will play again this season — at least as a hitter and possibly in both roles. @MLB @MLBNetwork
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) June 11, 2018
There’s been some speculation that Ohtani could need Tommy John Surgery. That would not only end his season, but would probably keep him out until late-2019 at the earliest.
With that in mind, it certainly makes sense that he’d be brought back as a pitcher.
Ohtani has thrived both as a hitter and as a pitcher in 2018. At the plate, he’s hitting .289/.372/.535 with six home runs. As a pitcher, Ohtani is 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, and an 11.1 K/9 rate.