Los Angeles Angels star Shuhei Ohtani will miss his next Wednesday start against the Texas Rangers to rest his arm.
The two-way star will not take any time off because of the team’s designated hitting and will take a break due to an arm strain, head coach Phil Nevin told reporters before the team’s game with the Texas Astros Sunday.
Nevin said via The News agency. “He feels healthy swinging at bats. He’s just (pitching) at the moment, he has some normal arm fatigue that happens sometimes.”
Emphasizing that Ohtani was uninjured, Nevin told reporters that the right-hander will return to rotation during a home series against the Reds that begins Aug. 21.
“I’ve told you many times that he knows his body better than anyone,” Nevin said. I trust him when he talks about it. He assured me there was no pain and no injury. He does get some regular arm fatigue which some go through on occasion. I trust him when he tells me this and he will be ready again outside.”
The 29-year-old went into Sunday’s game with a 2.17 ERA as a pitcher. He hit what was his 40th home run of the season earlier this month. He had to take a layoff that night due to difficulty extending his right middle finger, but was still able to record his 600th career strikeout.
Otani had played in 116 of the 118 matches through Sunday, starting as a setter in 22 of those matches. His break from working as a starting pitcher comes because he hasn’t had a day off since early May. He has not been technically removed from the game before its conclusion since July 28, a draw that came in the ninth inning.
