Angels star Shohei Ohtani recently suffered a concerning injury that could derail LA's season. Will he recover in time for the All-Star game?
The Los Angeles Angels received their death sentence following Shohei Ohtani's recent injury during Tuesday's game.
After placing Mike Trout on the injured list, the Angels saw Ohtani leave the game against the San Diego Padres early due to a blister on his finger. Ohtani had allowed five runs on seven hits along with four walks; he exited in the sixth inning.
That game marked the first time Ohtani had given up back-to-back home runs in his career, and he was pulled shortly after. He didn't look his usual self at the mound, and it's likely that Los Angeles took him out of the game for cautionary measures.
The Padres went on to win, 8-5, handing the Angels their 43rd loss of the season.
Shohei Ohtani injury update: Will he play in All-Star game?
Trout out for several weeks. Ohtani potentially nursing his finger in his next at-bats. Anthony Rendon picking up an injury on Tuesday, too, because this cursed 2023 season for the Angels can, in fact, keep getting worse.
Ohtani told The Athletic (subscription required) that he's "unlikely to pitch" in the upcoming All-Star Game on July 11, saying that his blister is connected to the fingernail crack he suffered in late June.
Both Ohtani's and Rendon's injuries feel like short-term nicks rather than long-term maladies, but it might not matter for an Angels team that is whiffing its way out of playoff contention.
The Angels are now four games out of a wild-card spot with their top two stars licking their wounds: Trout suffered a wrist fracture and landed on the 10-day IL on Tuesday with a tentative return date of four to eight weeks. Ohtani may not have to miss time depending on the severity of his blisters, yet he's not fully healthy, and a partially weakened Ohtani won't be enough to keep the Angels competitive for the foreseeable future.
Los Angeles anchored their hopes on Trout and Ohtani swallowing the shining invincible star and going on a tremendous run in July and August to edge the Angels into the playoffs. With the latest on the two-way phenom's ailing condition, Angels fans may be ready to take off their Ohtani jerseys and store them away in the closet, possibly for good.