Two-way star Shohei Ohtani is returning to the Angels as a one-way player, at least temporarily.
On Tuesday the Halos announced Ohtani has been activated off the disabled list, and he is in their starting lineup as the designated hitter.
Tonight’s #Angels lineup pic.twitter.com/pFAybrDKx5
— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) July 3, 2018
Ohtani had been on the disabled list since June 8 with a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He went through his rehab work with no trouble, and doctors cleared him to return as a hitter. Ohtani has not yet been cleared to pitch, and it's unclear whether he'll be able to pitch again this season.
Prior to the injury, Ohtani authored a .289/.372/.535 (150 OPS+) batting line with six home runs in 129 plate appearances. He would DH two or three times between pitching appearances depending on his schedule, though now the Angels figure to be able to increase his hitting workload since he's no longer working off the mound. Ohtani had a 3.10 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings.
The Angels went 8-14 while Ohtani was on the disabled list and slipped into fourth place in the AL West. They are 11 games back of the second wild card spot and 11 1/2 games back in the AL West going into Tuesday's game.
