Angels' Ohtani progressing, but will miss Opening Day

Despite making progress in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani won't be ready for Opening Day, general manager Billy Eppler said Thursday. Ohtani, who had surgery Oct. 1 to repair the UCL in his right (throwing) elbow, has been cleared to resume full strength training. He is expected to return to the team as a designated hitter at some point during the 2019 season, but the plan remains to keep him off the mound until 2020, Eppler confirmed.

There is no precise target for his 2019 debut. "It's clear to us that the timing of his progression will not allow him to be active for Opening Day," Eppler said. "Anything beyond that, I cannot answer at this time, because it's a multilayered progression that he has to go through. To pinpoint a time is unrealistic."

Ohtani, 24, has been limited to lower-body training but will now work to condition his upper body and right arm. After a few weeks, he should be able to take dry swings, before steadily progressing to hitting off a tee, batting practice and eventually live pitching. Eppler made it clear the team will not let Ohtani rush from milestone to milestone.

"Each event is a new level, for lack of a better word," Eppler said. "We're going to move level to level. We know the steps, but it's harder to frame the timeline." Ohtani shined in his first year in MLB last year, after coming to the Angels from Japan and winning AL Rookie of the Year. He went 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA in 10 starts on the mound, collecting 63 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings, while batting .285 with 22 homers and 61 RBIs in 104 games.

He sprained his UCL in June and didn't pitch for nearly three months before making another start that lasted just 2 1/3 innings. A subsequent MRI showed new UCL damage, prompting the surgery. However, Ohtani was cleared to keep hitting through the end of the season, batting .328 in August and .310 in September with 13 home runs over that span. Now four months out of surgery, Ohtani impressed the surgeon who performed the procedure -- Dr. Neal ElAttrache -- at an appointment last week, Eppler said.

Eppler also updated the status of first baseman Albert Pujols, who had surgery on his left knee in August but has been hitting again "for awhile." "We're very optimistic that the next stage for him is when we get out on the field and start moving around a little bit more, and then incorporating at-bats in games," Eppler said.

Pujols, who turned 39 on Jan. 16, is expected to rotate with Justin Bour at first base and designated hitter in 2019, pending Ohtani's return to the lineup. --Field Level Media

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