Shohei Ohtani's surreal, spectacular and ultimately disappointing tenure with the Los Angeles Angels may have come to a premature end.
The Japanese superstar reportedly cleaned out his locker in Los Angeles' home clubhouse following his team's 11-2 loss to the Detroit Tigers on Friday night, per Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group. The Angels told reporters they will not comment on the matter until Saturday.
All that remains in Ohtani's locker are a few team shirts and Seattle All-Star Game duffle, according to Sarah Valenzuela of the Los Angeles Times. His other personal items were gone, and his personal water bottle had been thrown in the trash.
Ohtani last played on Sept. 3rd, going 0-for-3 with two strikeouts, two walks and a stolen base in a 10-6 loss to the Oakland Athletics. He's been sidelined ever since by a strained oblique suffered during practice the following day. Though initially listed in the lineup for Monday's series-opener against the Seattle Mariners, Ohtani was ultimately scratched prior to the first pitch.
“We just had a conversation inside,” Angels general Phil Nevin said before Wednesday's loss to the Mariners, per the AP. “That's between us, but today just wasn't the right day to go.”
Ohtani's time on the mound this season was finished last month when he was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. The hope is that he can avoid undergoing Tommy John surgery to address the injury, a procedure that would prevent Ohtani from pitching again for at least the next calendar year. Prior reporting indicated he would make a final decision on surgery by mid-September.
The AL MVP front-runner is also a free agent this offseason, poised to sign a contract that could make him the highest-paid player in all of professional sports. The San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets and New York Yankees are broadly considered favorites to sign Ohtani this winter.
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