Shohei Ohtani is expected to be with the Los Angeles Angels for the start of their upcoming road trip and plans to continue to hit in their lineup, at least in the interim, a source with knowledge of the situation said.
The Angels are off Thursday, then begin a three-city trip through New York, Philadelphia and Oakland. Ohtani exited his start against the Cincinnati Reds in Game 1 of Wednesday's doubleheader after just 26 pitches, then underwent an MRI that revealed he had a tear in his right ulnar collateral ligament, Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters later that night.
But Ohtani still opted to serve as the team's designated hitter in Game 2 — and it appears he'll continue to do so at least through an upcoming weekend series against the New York Mets.
Ohtani, 29, has done this before. He remained in the Angels' lineup while undergoing platelet-rich plasma treatment and stem-cell therapy to treat a Grade 2 UCL sprain in the summer of 2018, then continued to hit even after learning he needed Tommy John surgery in the early part of September that year, pushing the procedure back until the end of the regular season.