Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani will miss the remainder of the season due to an oblique (rib) injury, the team announced Saturday.
Ohtani was placed on the 10-day injured list. He hasn’t played since Sept. 3 due to the oblique injury and his pitching season ended Aug. 23 due to a torn elbow ligament.
The two injuries ended one of the most notable seasons in major league history, a two-way production that made him a favorite to win his second American League MVP award in three seasons and sparked speculation that he could land a contract. for 500 million dollars or more. free agent this offseason.
The 29-year-old set career highs with a .304 batting average and a 1.066 on-base slugging percentage.
He leads the American League with 44 home runs and had 96 RBIs, eight triples and 20 stolen bases on an Angels team that started Saturday 68-80, on the brink of an eighth straight losing season.
Ohtani was 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts, striking out 167 and walking 55 in 132 innings. Ohtani and the Angels have not said whether he will need Tommy John surgery a second time.
Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery on October 1, 2018, performed by Los Angeles Dodgers head team physician Neal ElAttrache.
He returned to the Angels as a hitter the following May 7 and to the mound on July 26, 2020, in a season delayed by the pandemic. He didn’t retire a batter in his return, got just five outs on August 2 and left with a forearm strain that prevented him from pitching until 2021.
Since then, he has gone 34-16 with a 2.84 ERA in 74 starts.
Nearly all personal items had been removed from Ohtani’s locker and the empty cubby next to it after Friday night’s game. A completely filled bag with the logo of this year’s All-Star game was in front of his booth, where his shoes would normally be, and only a few training jerseys were hanging on the rack.
Nearly 30 minutes after reporters were allowed into the locker room and noted the absence of Ohtani’s possessions, an Angels spokesman said the team planned to release more information Saturday.