Ohtani's locker cleared out; Angels say details to come Sat.

ANAHEIM -- Shohei Ohtani’s locker was cleaned out and he had a large bag packed in front of it after Friday’s 11-2 loss against the Tigers, but the Angels said they won’t have anything to announce until Saturday.

Ohtani was not in the lineup against Detroit on Friday, though he worked out before the game in an effort to play. Ultimately, he was held out of his 11th straight game because of a right oblique injury. He could be deciding to shut it down this season; he also suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on Aug. 23 that is expected to require surgery. It’s still unclear what kind of operation is necessary for Ohtani, who already had Tommy John surgery in 2018.

Ohtani injured the oblique while taking batting practice at Angel Stadium on Sept. 4, and he was scratched from that night's game before further testing revealed that he had minor inflammation and no strain. He did, however, miss the remaining seven games of the Angels' homestand. Ohtani was hopeful to return in the three-game series in Seattle and was initially in the lineup on Monday before being scratched.

Manager Phil Nevin said on Wednesday that there was some hope he'd play on Friday after an off-day on Thursday but it wasn't the case. Randal Grichuk started at designated hitter in the series opener against Detroit.

"He's always wanting to play," Nevin said before the lineup was announced. "He's just going through his stuff."

Ohtani’s oblique injury came on the same day that his agent, Nez Balelo, spoke with local and Japanese media about the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. Ohtani, who tore the UCL while pitching against the Reds on Aug. 23, won’t pitch again this season and is still weighing his options after receiving multiple opinions on the injury. Surgery is still likely for Ohtani, but he might avoid his second Tommy John procedure.

The 29-year-old is entering the final weeks of what has been one of the best seasons in MLB history. On the offensive side of things, Ohtani has crushed 44 home runs, stolen 20 bases and leads the Majors with a 1.066 OPS and .654 SLG. Prior to his elbow injury, he had a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings on the mound.

Cumulatively, Ohtani leads the Majors with 10 WAR, more than two wins better than the next-closest player (Mookie Betts, 7.9), per Baseball Reference. The impending free agent is also entering the final weeks before he hits the market for the first time in his career. With the uncertainty around his torn UCL, many questions remain for the two-way superstar.