Angels' Shohei Ohtani: Shut down for season

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Ohtani (elbow) was placed on the injured list with a right oblique strain Saturday, ending his season, Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times reports.

The injury ends not only Ohtani's season but likely his Angels career, with the team's continued failure to mount a serious playoff push during his six years in Anaheim widely expected to lead to his departure in free agency. He'll finish the season with a .304/.412/.654 slash line, representing career highs in all three components, as well as 44 homers and 20 steals. He also won 10 games and finished with a 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP and 167 strikeouts over 132 innings before being shut down from pitching in late August with a torn UCL in his right elbow. While he'll undoubtedly inspire quite the bidding war this winter, Ohtani will come with plenty of risk between the oblique issue and the elbow surgery he's likely to require during the offseason. Ohtani is expected to undergo Tommy John surgery, an internal bracing surgery or some other elbow procedure that will likely keep him from pitching for most, if not all, of the 2024 season.