Los Angeles Angels Shohei Ohtani officially not pitching in 2019

Even though it was expected that Shohei Ohtani would not be on a mound in 2019, the Los Angeles Angels made that official.

A great deal of the mystique surrounding Los Angeles Angels rookie Shohei Ohtani involves his prowess as a two way player. He has been stellar with the bat and on the mound, posting a .290/.370/.580 batting line, hitting 19 homers and stealing nine bases. As a pitcher, Ohtani has a 3.31 ERA and a 1.161 WHiP, striking out 63 batters in 51.2 innings. He was just as advertised.

However, Ohtani will not be returning to the mound any time soon. After missing time with an elbow injury, he returned for one final start. After leaving once again with an injury, it was learned that he would need to undergo Tommy John surgery, putting his status for 2019 in question.

On Thursday, there was some clarity provided for Ohtani’s future. Manager Mike Scioscia stated that Ohtani would not pitch in 2019, and that he had discussed the plan moving forward with the Angels medical staff. Beyond that, Scioscia would not comment on those plans for the future.

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While this was the expected result, that statement puts all the speculation to rest. As it is, Ohtani will likely undergo the procedure following the regular season, allowing him to be ready to hit early in 2019. He would not have been able to return to the mound even under the most aggressive timelines, so Scioscia’s statement is hardly a surprise.

This is, nonetheless, a tremendous blow to the Angels pitching staff in 2019. In addition to being the second best hitter on the squad behind Mike Trout, Ohtani had been the Angels best starting pitcher. Given the dubious health of the likes of Garrett Richards and Matt Shoemaker, a healthy Ohtani would be vital to Los Angeles’ success.

One also has to wonder whether or not the Angels will continue to allow Ohtani to be a two way player. There were concerns about his elbow even before he signed, and the Angels will understandably want to be cautious with their prized rookie. That may lead to Los Angeles being even more cautious with Ohtani’s usage on the mound when he is ready to pitch again.

The Los Angeles Angels confirmed what we already knew, that Shohei Ohtani will not pitch in 2019. The question is – what about 2020 and beyond?