Los Angeles superstar Shohai Otani has made great strides in his much-anticipated return to the mound.
Otani faced the third live hitter at Petco Park this week in the team’s series against the San Diego Padres. Each live batting practice features an increase in volume of Ohatani built to participate in the depleted rotation.
More news: Angels Insider was mostly pitcher ‘ shoes Hei Otani.
pitching coach Mark Mark Pryor has made it clear that he continues to debate how much Otani needs before the team is ready to take the mound.
“You can start to get closer to 44, start to enter the 60 and 70 pitch range, and start to imagine and dream about joining the game,” he said via Bill Plunket in the Orange County Register. “Then you know he has volume under him.
And Otani could potentially pitch two or three innings first, with another pitcher lined up behind him, appearing to serve as a piggyback starter. Manager Dave Roberts added that the amount of innings that can contribute with each start will be helpful for the pitching staff, which have 14 pitchers per start.
“It certainly doesn’t have to be a complete accumulation,” Roberts said.
Despite countless injuries, the team revealed that Otani’s return was not consistent with the health of the pitching staff, or the lack of it. Otani is scheduled to make his pitching debut with the in late July or early August.
Nevertheless, as the two-way star’s debut approaches, the excitement surrounding Otani’s return is evident.
More news: Shohei Ohtani can make his pitching debut before an All-Star break, says Dave Roberts
Photo credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Immagn Image
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