Baseball

Shohei Ohtani Is Out of the Lineup for 10th Straight Game Due to Oblique Strain

AP Photo/Jeff Chiu
Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani sits in the dugout before a baseball game against the Oakland Athletics in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 2, 2023.

10:36 JST, September 14, 2023

SEATTLE (AP) — Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani was out of the lineup for his 10th straight game Wednesday because of a strained right oblique.

“We just had a conversation inside,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said prior to the series finale against Seattle. “That’s between us, but today just wasn’t the right day to go.”

Ohtani got hurt during batting practice prior to a Sept. 4 game against Baltimore.

The AL MVP front-runner was in the original lineup for Monday’s series opener but was scratched after his pregame workout.

The 29-year-old’s pitching season ended last month because of a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

Ohtani is batting .304 with an AL-best 44 home runs, 95 RBIs and 20 stolen bases along with a 10-5 record, 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings. He is eligible for free agency after this season.