Shohei Ohtani Won't Pitch for Angels vs. Yankees on Tuesday Due to Wrist Injury

Los Angeles Angels manager Joe Maddon told reporters star Shohei Ohtani will not pitch Tuesday's game against the New York Yankees after a ball struck his right wrist during Saturday's win over the San Diego Padres.

"He's fine, he's just sore," Maddon said Monday, per MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. "Pitching is problematic, so we'll just have him hit until he's ready to pitch. It's almost like his thumb issue."

Bollinger noted Ohtani had X-rays on the injury, with test results coming back negative.

Any injury to Ohtani is sure to raise some concern considering he missed time as a pitcher earlier this year because of a blister and made just two starts on the mound in 2020 because of a strained flexor pronator mass.

When healthy, Ohtani is valuable because of his unique skill set as someone who can help anchor the pitching staff and hit home runs as a designated hitter.

As a pitcher, he has a 3.00 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 127 strikeouts in 105.0 innings. As a hitter, he is slashing .264/.363/.623 with 41 home runs and 89 RBI.

In April, he became the first player since Babe Ruth to start a game as the pitcher while also leading the league in home runs.