Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani will not make his scheduled start on Wednesday against the Texas Rangers. Ohtani's next pitching appearance will instead happen the subsequent week against the Cincinnati Reds after he informed manager Phil Nevin that he's dealing with fatigue, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.
Earlier this month, Ohtani told reporters that he's been cramping often as of late -- a development that he blamed on his fatigue level. "Fatigue is No. 1, I think," he said to the Los Angeles Times.
Ohtani, 29, is in the midst of another historic season. He entered Sunday having amassed a .305/.407/.661 (185 OPS+) slash line as a hitter and a 3.17 ERA (140 ERA+) as a pitcher. His total contributions have been worth an estimated nine Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball Reference's calculations.
Ohtani has appeared in 116 of the Angels' 118 games to date, including starting as a pitcher in 22 of those contests. He hasn't received a day off since early May. He hasn't been lifted from a game before its completion since July 28 -- and even then he was removed in the ninth inning. In recent times, he's had to leave several starts as a pitcher because of blister and fingernail issues, but he's usually remained in those contests as a hitter.
The Angels chose to hold onto Ohtani, an impending free agent, at the deadline, adding veteran pieces around him in an attempt to make the postseason for the first time in his career. Alas, the Angels have slid further in the standings since, and their playoffs chances continue to plummet with each passing day. It doesn't help that their remaining schedule is one of the toughest in the majors.
They are 6 1/2 games out in the American League wild-card race, and SportsLine gives the Angels (58-60) a 1% chance of making the playoffs.
Ohtani is, of course, an impending free agent. According to industry insiders, he's expected to receive a contract in excess of $500 million this winter.
