LA Angels manager Phil Nevin is erring on the side of caution when it comes to bringing superstar Shohei Ohtani back to the playing paddock.
The Japanese sensation missed another game, against the Orioles, despite his elbow injury not being as bad as first expected.
The Angels suffered a close 4-5 defeat to the Baltimore team, and without their star player perhaps it was inevitable.
The dual-threat player injured his elbow, suffering from a UCL tear after an early shower at the Reds earlier this month, but it seems surgery for now is not an option. He may not pitch for the rest of the season, but his hitting alone can still be game-winning.
His entire season was in doubt in mid-August with a surgery likely, but he is healing faster than expected.
He has gone five years without the "Tommy John" surgery and his absence on the mound will be felt, by an Angels team sitting second from last in the AL West with a losing 64-75 season.
"There was a tiny bit of inflammation … He’s feeling a lot better today," Nevin said.
"I just felt today [the Orioles game] was not a good time for him," he said.
This is Nevin’s 10th MLB team he has been involved in in a career spanning 28 years, first as a player, then as a coach and manager.
His last playing appearance was in late 2006, for the Minnesota Twins, while he had to wait another 11 years for his first coaching job in the MLB San Francisco Giants.
