Los Angeles Angels: Shohei Ohtani’s injury scare should send a message

Shohei Ohtani, the hitter, returned to the Los Angeles Angels earlier this month and already had an injury scare with his right ring finger.

Shohei Ohtani went under the knife and had Tommy John Surgery at the end of last year after only pitching in 10 games and playing through the discomfort as a hitter. This means that the Los Angeles Angels‘ two-way phenom likely won’t pitch again until the 2020 season.

However, the Angels were not going to waste Ohtani’s talents as a two-way player and brought him back into the fold earlier this month as a designated hitter. This just seven months after Ohtani had the procedure.

Ohtani has not been awful in his return to big league action but has not been overly impressive. The Japanese star is hitting .250 with a .704 OPS and two home runs in 13 games. The negative? He has struck out 17 times in 59 plate appearances, good for a whopping 28.8 percent strikeout rate.

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The worst part? Ohtani was plunked in the hand by a 94 mile-per-hour fastball on Monday. Ohtani is fine and is not expected to miss much time but it was a scare considering it hit his pitching hand.

And while the Los Angeles Angels might be taking in a sigh of relief, this scare is the exact reason why the team should be cautious with Ohtani’s return; a return that we questioned here at LA Sports Hub.

We totally get the reasons for bringing Ohtani back in the fold. Not only will he help the team offensively but it will give him reps that can carry into next season and keep him from getting too much rust.

However, on the other hand, you have a guy that you invested so much into that you are arguably not only rushing back but risking injury. It is obvious that Ohtani is not 100 percent based on his performance thus far and all it takes is one scary accident to move him back even further.

It all depends on what the Angels are trying to do this season, which based on their moves, doesn’t line up with bringing Ohtani back. If the Angels want to make a playoff push (which they should) then it makes sense to have Ohtani in the lineup nearly every day.

However, if that is the case then you would think the Angels would make a move at someone like Dallas Keuchel to bolster the league’s worst pen. If the narrative instead is that the team does not want to “overspend on their budget” to be a wild card team then what is the point of risking Ohtani in the first place?

It is a fine line that the Angels are tip-toeing and one that could go either way. Ohtani could either have a good year and be in better shape for next year. Or, this could set him back even further when it comes to returning to the mound, which is the worst-case scenario for the Angels.

This is a player that the Los Angeles Angels have invested a lot in and already arguably mishandled last season. Hopefully, the team won’t do the same this time around.