Shohei Ohtani Will Throw Again Soon, And He's Still Smacking Big Dingers While He Waits

The Angels are more or less sunk this year, thanks to the depth of good teams in the AL West. But Japanese rookie sensation Shohei Ohtani is still balling, despite not being allowed on a mound since June.

Ohtani hasn’t pitched since returning from the disabled list a month ago, but he hasn’t had any problems at the plate, hitting three home runs this month already. Last Friday, he had four hits and two dingers against the Indians, and in the first inning of yesterday’s game against the Tigers, he sent a towering homer to the opposite field.

That’s Ohtani’s 12th home run of the season, and the opposite field pop shouldn’t be surprising to anyone who’s watched Ohtani hit this season. He really does seem to be feeling better. Ohtani also reached base on an infield single, stole a base, and scored on a tag-up from third.

The dude can do it all, and speaking of doing it all, he’ll soon make his return to pitching. Ohtani hasn’t pitched since June 6, thanks to a UCL injury. On Monday, he replicated a bullpen session with a towel in his hand instead of a baseball, and manager Mike Scioscia said that Ohtani will have an actual bullpen workout this weekend. If all goes well, fans may get to see Ohtani’s otherworldly splitter embarrass everyone a few more times before the end of the year.