Los Angeles Angels: Are we sure Shohei Ohtani returning is a good idea?

Shohei Ohtani will soon be back in action for a Los Angeles Angels team that needs a spark, but is it worth the risk to bring Ohtani back so soon?

The Los Angeles Angels offense has been rather disappointing to start the 2019 season. The team ranks 21st in batting average and 20th in total runs. That might not seem all that bad but that is still a bottom third team that also has the best player in baseball in Mike Trout.

The Halos are missing two pretty significant offensive pieces in both Justin Upton and Shohei Ohtani, who both have not made an appearance this season. Upton has been out with turf toe while Ohtani has been recovering from Tommy John Surgery.

Ohtani’s recovery is just about over, though, as he will soon rejoin the team. Ohtani is traveling with the team to Detroit and could make an appearance against the Tigers. If he doesn’t, his return is not far around the corner.

This is exciting for Angel fans. Not only is Ohtani the only player of his kind in the big leagues right now but he was a very good hitter in his rookie season for the Angels. The 2018 AL Rookie of the Year hit .285 with a .925 OPS and 22 home runs in 367 plate appearances.

Ohtani did not find himself on the mound for most of the year, though, despite being electric in some of his starts. The two-way player had a nearly three-month absence from the mound and made just one start on September 2 before being shut down for Tommy John Surgery.

Which raises the question: are we even sure it is worth rushing Ohtani back from the surgery so soon?

Ohtani had the surgery on the first of October last season, which was just seven months ago. It typically takes a year to 16 months for pitchers to return from the surgery, which at the earliest, would mean that Ohtani could pitch this year if the Angels made the postseason.

I get that he is likely not going to pitch at all this season and is going to serve as the primary designated hitter, but is that really the smartest thing the Angels can do?

If Ohtani returns to the lineup and fuels the offense and the Angels become a bonafide contender then sure, it is worth rushing him back and focusing on his hitting.

However, the Angels’ pitching is so consistent and I am not sure that the bat of Ohtani alone is going to be enough to really make that huge of a difference. First of all, pitchers now have more film on him and as we see with almost every single left-handed power hitter, the second year is not as good as the first.

Plus, he still is recovering from the injury and it takes time to get the timing right and truly feel comfortable after Tommy John. While he might be cleared for swinging motions, he still is recovering from a pretty serious injury and that will have somewhat of an impact on his swing.

And baseball is a game of milliseconds. His elbow affecting him in even the slightest of ways could lead to issues. It also does not help that it is his lead elbow, as he is a left-handed hitter.

We know he won’t play every day and he likely won’t make any starts whatsoever against southpaws unless a different injury makes it a necessity. Which again, raises the question, is it really worth potentially delaying his recovery from Tommy John so he can hit every other day?

He will have an entire offseason to continue to rest the arm and get it ready to pitch but that is still a delay on the recovery. By the time Opening Day 2020 rolls around, it will have been 22 months since Ohtani last threw more than 65 pitches or five innings in a game.

If the Los Angeles Angels would have just shut him down entirely and had the procedure done last summer then Ohtani could have pitched by July or August. Instead, they prolonged the process, hoping his bat alone would be enough to fuel a playoff run.

That obviously was not the case and in hindsight, most people realized the team made the wrong move.

The Los Angeles Angels have a chance to avoid making the same mistake again. While it is not a guaranteed mistake, the Halos are risking Ohtani’s value as a true two-way player.