Shohei Ohtani Out for Saturday's Game vs. Yankees After Suffering Ankle Injury

The much-anticipated showdown between Los Angeles Angels phenom Shohei Ohtani and New York Yankees pitcher Masahiro Tanaka will have to wait.

As Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register pointed out, Ohtani is not in the lineup for Saturday's game against the Yankees after spraining his left ankle during Friday night's contest.

With both stars heading to the majors from Japan, it was a matchup that many—including both players—wanted to see. 

"I think he's doing something very special," Tanaka said of the two-way Ohtani, per MLB.com's Bryan Hoch. "I mean, look around. No one else is doing it."

According to Hoch, Tanaka and Ohtani did square off in Japan in 2013. The then-Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles pitcher got the better of Ohtani, who went 0-for-11 with six strikeouts, a walk and a hit by pitch against the right-hander.

Now, their first meeting in the United States will be delayed.

In his first month in the majors, Ohtani has shined both on the plate and on the mound. The 23-year-old has hit .341/.383/.682 with four home runs, one double, one triple and 12 RBI in 12 games. Among the pitchers he has taken deep are two-time Cy Young winner Corey Kluber and All-Star Luis Severino. In four starts as a pitcher, the right-hander has gone 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA, a 1.13 WHIP and 26 strikeouts in 20.1 innings.

On the other side, Tanaka has had an up-and-down start to the season. In his first five outings, he is 3-2 with a 4.97 ERA and 28 strikeouts in 29 innings. While he was roughed up during the middle of April, he bounced back to allow just one run on three hits in 6.2 innings in his last start.

It would have been quite the showdown with both playing well of late. However, it may not be long before the two go head-to-head again. New York will host Los Angeles at Yankee Stadium May 25-27.