Ohtani to miss Tuesday start with ankle injury

[April 30, 2018]  (Reuters) - Japanese two-way player Shohei Ohtani will not make his scheduled start for the Los Angeles Angels against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday due to his ankle injury, the team said.

Ohtani sustained a left ankle injury while trying to beat out an infield hit against the New York Yankees on Friday.

He said the following day that he expected to be ready to pitch on Tuesday but the Angels said he was not ready.

“He's just not right now ready to go out there and run full speed like you would like to see,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said on Sunday of Ohtani, who has been held out of the team’s starting lineup for the last two games.

Scioscia added the team would not place Ohtani on the disabled list.

“There's a possibility that he throws a bullpen (session on Monday), but we're still evaluating it,” he said.

Ohtani is 2-1 with a 4.43 ERA in four starts as a pitcher for the Angels.

Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) circles the bases on his solo home run off of New York Yankees starting pitcher Luis Severino (40) (not pictured) in the second inning of the game at Angel Stadium of Anaheim. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

As a hitter, Ohtani is batting .341 with four home runs and 12 RBIs in 44 at-bats over 12 games.

(Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles)

[© 2018 Thomson Reuters. All rights reserved.]

Copyright 2018 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.  Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.