Maddon: Ohtani unlikely to pitch again this season

Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani, who suffered a forearm injury in his most recent start, is unlikely to take the mound again this season, manager Joe Maddon revealed Tuesday.

"I'm not anticipating him pitching at all this year," Maddon told reporters, according to Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times.

Ohtani, who didn't pitch in 2019 following Tommy John surgery, allowed seven runs in just 1 2/3 innings over his two starts this year. After leaving Sunday's outing early, he was diagnosed with a Grade 1-2 strain of the flexor-pronator mass in his forearm and shut down from throwing for at least four-to-six weeks.

Maddon added that Ohtani showed no signs of being hurt before Sunday, according to The Athletic's Fabian Ardaya.

Ohtani won AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2018 when he served as MLB's first two-way player in a century. In 10 starts as a rookie, he posted a 3.31 ERA and 3.57 FIP while averaging 11.0 strikeouts per nine innings.

The 26-year-old continued to hit while rehabbing his elbow and is again serving as the Angels' primary DH this season. Through six games in 2020, Ohtani owns a .148/.179/.407 slash line with two home runs, seven RBIs, and nine strikeouts.

Ohtani is sitting out of Tuesday's game as a precaution for his forearm, but the team doesn't expect the injury to prevent him from hitting, and he'll likely return to the lineup in the next few days. Maddon also isn't closing the book on Ohtani's pitching career.

"I'm looking forward to him having a regular spring training. That's what we need to see again, some normalcy, before you make that determination," Maddon said, according to DiGiovanna.