Shohei Ohtani to Make Angels Pitching Debut Sunday vs. Athletics

Los Angeles Angels manager Mike Scioscia told reporters Tuesday that Shohei Ohtani will make his first major league start at pitcher Sunday against the Oakland Athletics.    

"We could have shuffled things in a lot of different ways," Scioscia said, according to ESPN.com. "This makes the most sense for where we are right now. We'll adjust as we have to as we move through the season."

Garrett Richards will start L.A.'s season opener Thursday, followed by Tyler Skaggs and Matt Shoemaker. Ohtani will close out the four-game set against the A's at the O.co Coliseum. 

Ohtani signed with the Angels in December following a long recruitment process, and in spring training, he failed to flash the tantalizing two-way potential he showed in the Japan Pacific League with the Nippon Ham Fighters. 

In two starts, the 23-year-old went 0-1 with a 27.00 ERA, 4.12 WHIP and five strikeouts over 2.2 innings. 

"Of course, in a perfect world, I would've like to have faced more major league hitters, but it's more than that," Ohtani said Saturday, per ESPN.com. "It's also about me making adjustments with the mound and the ball and all that. It didn't really matter who I faced. I just had to check with my own stuff, mechanics [and] timing."

Ohtani also struggled at the plate and went 4-for-32 with 10 strikeouts and three walks.

Still, Scioscia said Tuesday that despite those woes, Ohtani could find work at the plate before Sunday as a designated hitter.