Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani will miss the remainder of Major League Baseball’s regular season after suffering a muscle injury, the club confirmed on Saturday.
The Angels said in a statement the Japanese two-way sensation had been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique injury.
With the Angels out of playoff contention and Ohtani entering free agency at the end of the season, the injury means he may well have played his last game for the club.
Ohtani has not played since September 3 due to the oblique injury, and has not pitched since August 23 after suffering a torn elbow ligament.
The 29-year-old missed Friday’s game against Detroit despite working out prior to the fixture.
Ohtani’s future has been shrouded in uncertainty in recent weeks.
The Japanese ace is expected to be the subject of a frenzied bidding war during the off-season with several clubs expected to make a run to land his signature.
However Ohtani’s free agency has been complicated by his elbow injury, which may require him to undergo Tommy John surgery for the second time since arriving in Major League Baseball.
Any operation of that nature would almost certainly rule him out for a large part of the 2024 season.
Ohtani, described as the best two-way threat since Babe Ruth, had been enjoying a stellar season, smashing 44 home runs while boasting a 3.14 ERA from the mound with 167 strikeouts from 132 innings.
