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Ohtani, who had surgery Oct. 1 to repair the
UCL in his right (throwing) elbow, has been cleared to resume
full strength training. He is expected to return to the team as
a designated hitter at some point during the 2019 season, but
the plan remains to keep him off the mound until 2020, Eppler
confirmed.
There is no precise target for his 2019 debut.
"It's clear to us that the timing of his progression will not
allow him to be active for Opening Day," Eppler said. "Anything
beyond that, I cannot answer at this time, because it's a
multilayered progression that he has to go through. To pinpoint
a time is unrealistic."
Ohtani, 24, has been limited to lower-body training but will now
work to condition his upper body and right arm. After a few
weeks, he should be able to take dry swings, before steadily
progressing to hitting off a tee, batting practice and
eventually live pitching.
Eppler made it clear the team will not let Ohtani rush from
milestone to milestone.
"Each event is a new level, for lack of a better word," Eppler
said. "We're going to move level to level. We know the steps,
but it's harder to frame the timeline."
Ohtani shined in his first year in MLB last year, after coming
to the Angels from Japan and winning AL Rookie of the Year. He
went 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts on the mound, collecting
63 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings, while batting .285 with 22
homers and 61 RBIs in 104 games.
He sprained his UCL in June and didn't pitch for nearly three
months before making another start that lasted just 2 1/3
innings. A subsequent MRI showed new UCL damage, prompting the
surgery. However, Ohtani was cleared to keep hitting through the
end of the season, batting .328 in August and .310 in September
with 13 home runs over that span.
Now four months out of surgery, Ohtani impressed the surgeon who
performed the procedure -- Dr. Neal ElAttrache -- at an
appointment last week, Eppler said.
Eppler also updated the status of first baseman Albert Pujols,
who had surgery on his left knee in August but has been hitting
again "for awhile."
"We're very optimistic that the next stage for him is when we
get out on the field and start moving around a little bit more,
and then incorporating at-bats in games," Eppler said.
Pujols, who turned 39 on Jan. 16, is expected to rotate with
Justin Bour at first base and designated hitter in 2019, pending
Ohtani's return to the lineup.
--Field Level Media
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