Shohei Ohtani to Pitch for 1st Time Since Elbow Injury in June

Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani will return to the mound Sunday against the Houston Astros for the first time since he was placed on the disabled list in June with an elbow injury, according to MLB.com's Maria I. Guardado. 

Ohtani was activated from the disabled list July 3 after he was diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. However, he was only cleared to take at-bats and has not pitched since June 6. 

Thursday's clearance comes three days after Ohtani threw 50 pitches in a simulated game.

After that outing, manager Mike Scioscia indicated "Ohtani's stuff is good enough to get major league hitters out right now," according to the Southern California News Group's Jeff Fletcher. 

Prior to the UCL scare, Ohtani went 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA, 61 strikeouts and 20 walks across 49.1 innings. His average fastball velocity clocked in at 96.8 mph during that stretch, according to FanGraphs. 

The 24-year-old has also held steady at the plate with a .275/.352/.545 slash line, 15 home runs and 43 RBI.