Shohei Ohtani wants more playing time with the Los Angeles Angels, with his current time on the mound and at the plate a bit too stingy for the pitching hitter wunderkind’s likings.
The 23-year-old rookie who joined LA this season from Japanese pro baseball has already made a massive impact during his first month in the MLB, having appeared in nine of the Angels' first 14 games, twice as a starting pitcher and six times as designated hitter, ESPN reported.
And while the team is trying to rest the 6-foot-4 left hander on days that he’s not pitching, Ohtani is feeling frustrated with the down time.
“It's the beginning of the season, so I think they are being pretty careful with me right now,” he said through a translator Wednesday, per ESPN.
Ohtani described how the team was ensuring he make regular contact with medical staff, who conduct daily assessments to determine his strength and overall health before being cleared for game time.
“Once the season gets tougher and the schedule gets tougher throughout the summer, hopefully I can make them want to play me more. I would like to play more. If not, that's what it is. I have to follow what they have to say,” he noted.
Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Ohtani is expected to DH against the Kansas City Royals on Thursday and Friday and will then take an off-day Saturday, per The Score.
He will be be the starting pitcher on Sunday in the finale against the Royals, making it his third consecutive Sunday on the field, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Scioscia said it was a balancing act trying to keep Ohtani’s ability to bat fresh in relation to being ready to pitch.
“He always says he's ready, but right now we're definitely going to protect him as much as we can,” he said, per the Tribune.
“The biggest thing is we will be flexible, so it's not in concrete. We'll check with him and see when he's available and we'll go from there.”
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