General manager Billy Eppler said Thursday that Ohtani underwent an MRI in Los Angeles that showed improvement to his ulnar collateral ligament Ondrej Kase Jersey , clearing him to take batting practice in private.
”That’s news I was hoping to hear,” Eppler said on a conference call.
Ohtani was placed on the disabled list with a UCL sprain June 8. He will be re-evaluated by doctors in three weeks.
Asked whether Ohtani needs Tommy John surgery that could cause him to miss the rest of this season as well as all of the 2019 season, Eppler said, ”No doctor has told me that Shohei needs surgical intervention at this time.”
Ohtani has a Grade 2 sprain, or partial tear, of the UCL in his right elbow. In hopes of avoiding Tommy John surgery, the Angels had Ohtani’s ligament injected with platelet-rich plasma and stem cells earlier this month. Eppler said he has not had additional injections.
Eppler said Ohtani will not play in rehab games but will take batting practice in a ”private and controlled environment” and could face live pitching as soon as this weekend. Because Ohtani is not a position player, rehab games were deemed unnecessary.
”We can control a little bit more the progression,” Eppler said. ”This allows for more freedom, structure and control.”
Ohtani has not been cleared to pitch yet.
His last appearance came June 6 in a start against Kansas City. Ohtani left after four innings with a blister and also mentioned he was feeling tightness in his elbow. An MRI taken the next day revealed the UCL in his right elbow had progressed from a Grade 1 strain to a more serious Grade 2 level.
Ohtani won four of his first five decisions before getting injured. He was batting .289 with six home runs and 20 RBIs.
”I know that not being able to play baseball competitively and only being able to train doesn’t really satisfy his appetite and his hunger to play,” Eppler said. ”He’s now one step closer. I can only assume he’s excited about it.”
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Wednesday was already going to be a bullpen day for the Tampa Bay Rays, and Tuesday’s 16-inning Rickard Rakell Jersey , 9-6 victory over the Miami Marlins only adds to that, with one or two Rays relievers expected to be added to help provide fresh arms.
The five-hour, 31-minute marathon further taxed the bullpen for Tampa Bay (43-42), with Matt Andriese expected to start Wednesday in Miami after the teams played extra-inning games in the first two contests of the three-game series.
The Rays, continuing their strategy of using relievers as starters, scrapped a scheduled start by Ryne Stanek for the second day in a row, opting to use him in extra innings Monday and Tuesday instead of opening the following day.
Stanek was originally scheduled to start Tuesday, but came in for the 10th inning Monday night. He walked the first batter and then gave up two hits, taking the loss without recording an out to briefly give himself an infinite ERA for his career against the Marlins.
He was then slated to start Wednesday, but came in and pitched the 12th inning Tuesday night, striking out the side to push the game to the 13th inning. He added another scoreless frame, but that took him out of his scheduled role Wednesday Marquis Haynes Jersey , putting more work on an overused bullpen. Nine pitchers were used in Tuesday’s win, requiring at least one roster move just to supply enough live arms to get through Wednesday’s series finale.
Miami used eight pitchers Tuesday, so the Marlins may need to add a reliever for short-term relief as well, under much the same circumstances.
Andriese (1-3, 3.86 ERA) will start two days after he pitched two innings Monday against the Marlins, limiting them to one hit and no runs. That outing came after two straight appearances where he gave up three runs each, raising his season ERA from 3.27 to 4.02.
Andriese will make his fourth start of the season Wednesday, and has handled the Marlins well in his career, with a 1-0 record and 1.69 ERA career appearances against them, including a seven-inning scoreless gem last season.
Miami will start Jose Urena (2-9, 4.40), who is slowly bouncing back from a rough first two months of the season. Urena did not get any wins in his first 12 starts Ryan Getzlaf Jersey , but is 2-2 since and is just now returning from a stint on the disabled list with right shoulder impingement.
Urena had his best outing of the season two starts ago, going eight scoreless innings and holding Baltimore to three hits while getting the win June 15. He wasn’t as fortunate five days later, lasting 5 2/3 innings and giving up five runs and eight hits in a loss to the Giants.
Urena has never started against the Rays, but carries a 1.59 career ERA in six relief appearances, including five scoreless innings in 2015-16, against Tampa Bay. He pitched well last season, winning 14 games and finishing with a 3.82 ERA.
After this series, the Rays move on to New York for a three-game series with the Mets, while the Marlins go to Washington for a four-game series against the Nationals.
