Ohtani forced to DL with elbow injury
Shohei Ohtani will be placed on the disabled list with a sprained elbow ligament, potentially derailing the Los Angeles Angels twoway sensation’s remarkable rookie season.
Angels general manager Billy Eppler announced the injury Friday before his club opened a road trip in Minnesota. The Angels are unsure about the severity of Ohtani’s injury, but the Japanese righthander and designated hitter won’t throw another ball before doctors re-evaluate him in three weeks.
Ohtani left his last pitching start after four innings Wednesday due to the reoccurrence of a blister. Eppler said that’s when the Angels got their first indication Ohtani’s elbow ligament might be distressed: “As the game adrenaline wore off, he said, ‘My elbow is getting a little stiff.’”
Ohtani, who will turn 24 years old next month, underwent injections of platelet-rich plasma and stem cells Thursday in Los Angeles.
The Angels said Ohtani’s ulnar collateral ligament has a Grade 2 sprain, which typically indicates some degree of damage, but not a complete tear. Ohtani’s injury doesn’t always require surgery, while Grade 3 sprains are usually repaired by Tommy John surgery.
Ohtani is 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA in his debut North American season, getting 61 strikeouts with a mix of 100-mph fastballs and precipitous breaking pitches — including a splitter, a pitch that typically puts significant stress on the elbow.
Ohtani also is batting .289 with six homers and 20 RBIs as baseball’s most successful two-way player in decades.
Eppler acknowledged that if Ohtani was only a hitter, he “probably” would be able to keep playing.
Mets: Swooning New York took two more hits to its already banged-up pitch- ing staff when closer Jeurys Familia was put on the disabled list because of a sore right shoulder and ace Noah Syndergaard was scratched from a weekend start against the Yankees because of a strained ligament in his right index finger.
Padres: Pitcher Jose Torres, 24, arrested in December on charges that stemmed from a domestic violence incident involving his wife, was suspended by Major League Baseball for the rest of the season.
ODDS AND ENDS
NFL: Houston Texans safety Andre Hal has been diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma and insists he “will beat it.” Hal, 26, received the preliminary diagnosis from the team physician and is consulting with doctors at Houston’s MD Anderson Cancer Center, the team said.
■ Colts coach Frank Reich said he believes starting quarterback Andrew Luck is “real close” to throwing. Luck continues to rehabilitate from shoulder surgery that took place more than 16 months ago.
Soccer: A February winter break will be introduced in the English Premier League from the 2019-20 season, the Football Association announced. The breaks will be staggered to ensure that action still takes place on every weekend during the period, with five games on each weekend, allowing two weeks’ rest for players.
■ Argentina midfielder Manuel Lanzini tore a ligament in his right knee during training, ruling him out of the World Cup. The 25-yearold Lanzini, who plays for English club West Ham, was expected to be a starter.
Cycling: Dan Martin posted his first victory of the season after attacking three kilometers from the finish of the mountainous Stage 5 on the Criterium du Dauphine. Geraint Thomas finished four seconds off the pace and claimed the overall lead in the event.