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Shohei Ohtani Undergoes MRI for Arm Injury After Angels' Loss to Astros
August 3, 2020
Los Angeles Angels designated hitter/pitcher Shohei Ohtani will reportedly undergo an MRI on his pitching arm.
Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times reported the news, noting Ohtani "expressed some discomfort in his pitching arm" following Sunday's loss to the Houston Astros.
Ohtani is hitting .148 with two home runs and seven RBI. On the mound, the 26-year-old has a 37.80 ERA in two starts.
A Grade 2 UCL sprain forced Ohtani to miss a month of the 2018 campaign, and he underwent Tommy John surgery after the season.
That precluded Ohtani from pitching in 2019, but he returned as a designated hitter last May. One month later, he hit for the cycle.
A bipartite patella ended Ohtani's 2019 season in mid-September.
In the batting lineup, infielder David Fletcher has picked up some of the slack.
Coming off hitting .290 in 2019, Fletcher is hitting .368 in the early going in 2020.
L.A. can turn to numerous options to fill Ohtani's spot in the rotation. For one, the Angels could choose the bullpen game route, with Felix Pena serving as a long reliever.
Pena threw seven hitless innings during a combined no-hitter against the Seattle Mariners on July 12 last season.