Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who is recovering from elbow and knee surgeries, will not be ready to pitch in the majors until at least mid-May, general manager Billy Eppler told reporters Tuesday.
After having Tommy John surgery in October 2018, Ohtani continued to contribute to the Angels in 2019 as a designated hitter. He then had season-ending surgery last September to address a rare condition in his left knee, which prompted him to shut down his throwing progression for a couple of months.
“The knee surgery pushed back his rehab and his throwing progression to complete the Tommy John rehab protocol,” Eppler told reporters Tuesday. “So we’re targeting about a mid-May return on the mound. He will be able to begin the season as a DH, pending no other unforeseen things happening.”
Ohtani, 25, has made only 10 major league starts as a pitcher since joining the Angels from Japan — all in 2018, when he was named American League Rookie of the Year. In those starts, he was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts.
Ohtani will continue his throwing program on the side and will participate in spring training games, which start March 22, with the Angels as a hitter.
Last season as a hitter, he had a .286 batting average with 18 home runs and 62 RBIs.
Before he returns to the majors as a pitcher, Ohtani will make some minor league starts, Eppler said.
“I think we will target a handful of those,” Eppler told reporters. “There’s value in him facing guys in a different uniform.”
After that, it will be up to new manager Joe Maddon on how often to put Ohtani on the mound. The Angels used a six-man rotation when Ohtani arrived in 2018.
“I do expect Shohei to pitch once a week to stay on that kind of program,” Eppler told reporters. “We have a lot of off days in April this year and that was part of our calculus when we were walking through this stuff.
“If we have a lot of off days, we can stay with a five-man [rotation]. If we go through a time when our pitchers can use some rest, we can insert somebody.”