Angels' Shohei Ohtani's Final Mound Start Before 2023 MLB Trade Deadline Pushed Back

Shohei Ohtani's last start on the mound before the 2023 trade deadline has been pushed back a day.

Ohtani was supposed to be on the mound Thursday against the Detroit Tigers, but instead will now be going on Friday when the Angels take on the Toronto Blue Jays.

Manager Phil Nevin attributed the decision to giving the star an extra day of rest in between starts and to also try to avoid dealing with blister issues in his next potential start when the Angels face the Atlanta Braves in a day game.

Nevin discussed the decision, via Greg Beacham of the the Associated Press:

"The humidity, the moisture in your hands, could affect that blister, and that's the part that I worried about,"  "I brought it up to him, and he agreed. It doesn't change the amount of starts he's going to have. Basically, it just gives him Toronto instead of Atlanta, and then a couple more games at home. But it takes him off the two day games in a row. I'd prefer that he pitches at night, just for the rest."

While the move does not appear to be trade-related in any manner, it's still notable given the looming possibility of a deadline deal involving Ohtani.

The two-way superstar is in the midst of a MVP-caliber season. He is hitting .302 with 35 home runs and 76 RBI's in 97 games at the plate and on the mound he is 8-5 with a 3.71 ERA.

Despite Ohtani's stellar performance, the Angels are currently 50-49 and sit in fourth place in the AL West. They are 8.5 games back of the division-leading Texas Rangers and are four games behind the Toronto Blue Jays for the final Wild Card spot.

His contract is set to expire following the season and has stated a desire to play for a winning team. The Angels have not been that team in his tenure, failing to reach the playoffs once and not having an above .500 record in that time either.

It's unclear if the Angels will keep Ohtani or decide to trade him, but the clock is ticking on making a firm decision. The 2023 MLB trade deadline is August 1.