SEPT. 1: Shoemaker will start Monday in Texas, Maria Guardado of MLB.com reports.
AUG. 30: The Angels announced today that Shohei Ohtani will return to the mound on Sunday, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register was among those to report on Twitter. He had not thrown in the majors since being diagnosed with a grade 2 UCL sprain in early June.
In other news, the Halos have activated outfielder Justin Upton from the DL. And the organization called up backstop Jose Briceno to take the roster spot and role vacated by the just-dealt Bobby Wilson.
Additionally, the team indicated that right-hander Matt Shoemaker is nearing his own activation, as Fletcher further tweets. That’s another good bit of injury news for an organization that needs as many as it can get.
Ohtani, 24, has been active on the MLB roster in the meantime, of course. He was cleared to resume performing his services as a designated hitter prior to being ready to return to the hill. While continuing to post impressive numbers with the bat, the Japanese star has been building up his stamina in hopes of making it back into the rotation.
For the Halos, the late-season return of Ohtani as a pitcher won’t make up for the club’s intervening struggles. But his showing will certainly be important for the future. If the right-hander can return to full strength this year without issue, then he and the organization can go into the offseason feeling reasonably confident that he’ll be able to ramp up next spring and turn in a full 2019 season. If things go south, then more drastic scenarios may need to be considered.
It’s not an altogether different scenario for Shoemaker, who has only made one start to this point of the season and was limited to 14 outings last year. The 31-year-old, who’ll be eligible for his third of four potential trips through the arbitration process this fall, had been a solid rotation presence for the club in the prior three campaigns.
“And the organization called up backstop Jose Briceno to take the roster spot and role vacated by the just-dealt Bobby Wilson.”
Hey Jeff, what’s the Briceno transaction have to do with Bobby Wilson, since he went from the Twins to the Cubs? Once corrected, feel free to delete this comment if you want.
Ah, you probably meant Rene Rivera.
I mean….Wilson did start his career with the Angels….
Hmm, good point. Maybe they just got over trading him after all this time. Tough loss.
Someone’s got a chip in their shoulder
A doctor should look at that, could get infected
I had to stop and wonder what year this was.
Why?!?! This is like the Nats bringing Strasberg back. The Angels season is over. Why risk hurting this phenom’s arm again by pitching in meaningless games?
Look up Jeff Fletcher OC Register on Twitter and you’ll find out.
Article he is referring to:
ocregister.com/2018/08/30/shohei-ohtani-to-return-…
Thanks for posting that for him to see if he cares to read it
Ohtani coming back is quite simply much ado about nothing.
Because the Angels are a poorly run organization with a senile old man as an owner, and a man who time has passed by as a manager. They run their team like this is 1985. They’ve wasted how many years of Trout’s talent? Why not turn the first legit two-way player in decades into a glorified DH for the rest of his career?
Typical Angel hater who has always been jealous that LA had Trout. Now when Ohtani spurns the east coast, their diapers are only getting wetter.
No one hates the Angels more than themselves. I mean, look at that record? Look at the last time the Angels played meaningful games in September.
If you think this is hating on Othani because he chose LA, you are mistaken, and portraying it as jealousy because you have Trout is a stretch too. It’s pretty obvious to everyone the Angels are a bad organization, they’ve surrounded Trout with overpriced veterans, they spit on a guy who has a legit medical illness, they pretty much ruin every talented pitcher they have. But keep dreaming the dream that other teams are jealous of your poorly constructed team because you have two star players. Only in Tinseltown is star power more important than performance…
Actually the past few years the Angels were close in competing for a wild card spot… which is why they got Upton last year…
And they are 4 years removed from having the best record in the MLB (2014).
I’m dying at “typical Angels hater”. The Angels aren’t the Yankees. They don’t have “haters”. Stop it.
Idk as an Angels fan I’ve hated the Angels for like the past 4 years. Billy Eppler gives me hope and has done an amazing job but then these injuries are so deflating. Angels fans I believe have grown to resent Arte Moreno and Mike Scioscia a lot and are all concerned that we are losing our window of contention as Mike Trout’s free agency keeps coming closer. It’s a lot of frustration that comes out as anger in comment sections lol
And.. as predicted, TJ now likely in his future after blowing out the ligament in a meaningless game.
Is going to end up leaving in the 2nd with forearm stiffness
The only person getting stiffness this Sunday is your mother
Lol
So youre not getting stiffness either huh?
Nice comment for a thirteen year old
From who? The ohtani comment or the stiffness comment? Seems like the ohtani comment to me if that person would just do some research.
So…you’re going in floppy?
Maybe he’s catching, not pitching.
rekt
You kids need to get out of the basement
Now he’s up for TJ. Moron.
The Angels dealt Bobby Wilson like 10 years ago. I believe the name is Rene Rivera hahaha
I was at Shoemaker’s rehab start last night. He looked real good, though it was at High-A Inland Empire.
4 innings, 0 hits, 2 BB, 6 SO.
Didn’t t even realize bobby wilson was back on the halos.
This makes no sense to me. But what do I know? But with the Angels season pretty much over what is there to gain? Let the elbow completely heal for next year
Ohtani is 23
He’s in his age 23 season, but he turned 24 on July 5. Posted on BRef and everything.
I’m curious to see how well (and how long) Ohtani will pitch without a rehab assignment to stretch him out.
Why are the angels doing this? Save the mans arm for next year. The season for the angels is done. Not worth hurting Ohtani. I say let him rest and continue as a dh.He has all of 2019 to pitch. Get it together Angels. Can mike leave already???
Seems like this needs to be said over and over…
Ohtani is pursuing a non-surgical treatment under medical supervision. None of the specialists consulted recommended surgery. He has been under treatment, given weekly MRIs to determine either healing or regression on the sprain. He is completely monitored, every step of the way.
If a decision had been made to have TJ surgery 6 weeks ago when the sprain was diagnosed, he would miss all of 2019. If the non-surgical route was taken, he could DH and work on returning to pitch this season, something which will commence Sunday.
If in any September appearances he shows further damage to the UCL, he can opt for the surgery, and miss 2019…same as if he had made that choice 6 weeks ago. There is no downside to pursuing a non-surgical treatment, and the potential upside of not requiring surgery at all.
The armchair doctors *really* like to give their 2 cents about Ohtani. Thank you.
Actually the post by GeoKaplan is spot on as to why Ohtani is returning. The team released that statement shortly after his diagnosis.
Getting Shohei to pitch again this year is for one very solid and logical reason. They need to know before the end of the year whether his elbow will need Tommy John surgery. Worst case scenario, if he needs Tommy John surgery this fall, he could still come back in time for spring training as a hitter only next season. If they wait till next year to find out and he has to have surgery during the season, he would probably be lost for the majority of 2019, with no option of hitting…
Could be Tanaka 2.0 -Minus the hitting…
That tendon is going to snap like a matchstick.