Shohei Ohtani’s season is over as both a pitcher and hitter.
The Los Angeles Angels two-way star was already out for the season as a pitcher after an MRI last month revealed that he has a tear in his UCL. On Saturday, the Angels said that Ohtani was being shut down as a hitter, too, due to his oblique injury.
Ohtani last served as a designated hitter on Sept. 3 and has been out since hurting his oblique in batting practice a day later. He last pitched on Aug. 23.
Angels GM Perry Minasian said Saturday that an MRI on Friday showed that Ohtani would not be able to return this season.
Minasian also said that Ohtani cleared out his locker in the Angels’ clubhouse on Friday night after getting the news about his oblique. Ohtani is still expected to join the team for home games.
The 2021 AL MVP is also expected to undergo some sort of procedure on his elbow in the near future.
Ohtani is a free agent after the season and widely expected to sign with a new team.
Despite being limited to 135 games as a batter, Ohtani still leads the AL in triples (8), home runs (44), walks (91) and on-base percentage (.412). He is favored to win AL MVP for the second time in his career.
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