Ohtani returning to mound Friday vs. Texas

ANAHEIM -- Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani threw a bullpen session without any issues on Wednesday after being hit on his right hand/wrist by a 93 mph fastball last Saturday, and the right-hander will make his next start on Friday against the Rangers at Angel Stadium.

Ohtani was originally scheduled to start against the Yankees on Tuesday, but his outing was pushed back because of the injury. He’ll be making his 20th start of the year, and he’s 8-1 with a 3.00 ERA and 127 strikeouts in 105 innings. He’s been serving as designated hitter despite the injury and hit his Major League-leading 42nd homer on Monday and stole two bases, including home, on Tuesday.

Angels manager Joe Maddon was encouraged by Ohtani’s bullpen session and added that the Halos don’t plan to shut him down at any point this season.

“There might be a little more time between starts,” Maddon said. “But even if we shortened that time, it would be the same number of starts, if that makes sense. There are no plans to shut him down. The plan is for him to continue doing this.”

Sandoval expects to be ready for Spring Training
Left-hander Patrick Sandoval said it’s frustrating that he’ll miss the rest of the season with a stress fracture in his lower back, but he said he plans to be ready for Spring Training. Sandoval, 24, had a breakout season before the injury, posting a 3.62 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 87 innings over 17 games, including a 3.39 ERA in his 14 starts.

Sandoval is expected to be a big part of the rotation next year and is hopeful to have a normal offseason once his back fully heals. He’s currently resting and doing core exercises and said he doesn’t have an official timeline on when he’ll be fully healthy.

“It was just a gradual thing,” Sandoval said. “In my last outing, I felt some pain and my velo was down. I was a little bit worried. And then when I tried to throw a couple days later, it didn’t feel right. But I’m happy with my results for the most part in my time pitching here. Hopefully, I can build on it for next year and come into Spring Training strong.”

MLB, Angels raise awareness for childhood cancer
Major League Baseball and all 30 clubs raised awareness for childhood cancer on Wednesday, as MLB’s “Childhood Cancer Awareness Day” was held in collaboration with Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C).

All on-field personnel, including players, managers, coaches, and umpires, wore gold-ribbon decals and wristbands during games. The Angels are one of 15 clubs that partnered with Starlight Children’s Foundation, which is donating Nintendo Switch Lites to a local children’s cancer hospital. Later this month, the Angels will also send “Flames of Hope” messages delivered to Long Beach’s Miller Children’s Hospital, in addition to providing promo gifts to the hospital and a virtual visit with patients on Sept. 20.

MLB has held "Childhood Cancer Awareness Day" for six years. Roughly 15,000 children younger than 20 are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States. As Stand Up To Cancer’s founding donor, MLB and the 30 clubs have pledged more than $50 million to SU2C’s collaborative cancer research programs.