Minasian clarifies Ohtani imaging questions

NEW YORK -- Angels general manager Perry Minasian met with the media before Saturday’s 5-3 win over the Mets at Citi Field to clarify a few things about the timeline of Shohei Ohtani’s right elbow injury and why he didn’t undergo an MRI exam prior to his start that saw him tear his ulnar collateral ligament on Wednesday.

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Ohtani -- who went 2-for-3 with a double, a triple, two walks (one intentional) and two stolen bases as the designated hitter on Saturday and will continue in that role until he gets a second opinion -- had skipped his previous scheduled outing with arm fatigue. But he never mentioned anything about his elbow until after he exited his start against the Reds after 1 1/3 innings on Wednesday.

He also left his outing after four innings against the Mariners on Aug. 3 due to cramping in his right middle finger, and the Angels offered to have imaging taken on his pitching arm. But Ohtani and his agent, Nez Balelo, declined at the time, according to Minasian.

“I’ve received a lot of inquiries about the imaging thing, and yes, the only time we got imaging was after the injury,” Minasian said. “With that being said, the imaging was offered earlier in the year, and him and his representation turned it down. And I understand why. It was a cramp in his finger, and they didn't believe it warranted imaging. So that's where that is.”

Manager Phil Nevin and Minasian said it’s not unusual for players to decline imaging or testing during the season, especially given their desire to play. It’s the player’s decision on whether they believe it’s ultimately warranted.

“There were plenty of times in my career where they asked me if I wanted testing and I told them no way,” Nevin said. “I wanted to keep playing.”

Minasian said Ohtani had been dealing with cramping and dehydration issues, which is also why he skipped his start in Texas last week. But Ohtani threw his bullpen session without any issues ahead of his start on Wednesday and signified to the coaching and training staff that he felt ready to go.

“Just tired, and dehydration and cramps were mentioned, so we decided to skip the start,” Minasian said. “But he didn’t go on the IL, kept playing, hitting. He felt good when he threw [his side session]. He was ready to pitch. When he says that, especially him because he knows himself as well as anybody, there’s nobody I believe more when he says he’s ready to go.”

Ohtani, though, tore his UCL on a pitch during the second inning and eventually left the game after throwing a 94.2 mph fastball to Christian Encarnacion-Strand. It was after he came into the dugout that he told the training staff that he had pain in his elbow. The subsequent MRI exam revealed the tear, which could require Tommy John surgery for a second time.

“That day, that’s when it happened,” Minasian said. “Again, it's a relationship of trust, right? The player and I, we've done it for three years. I believe he's had three pretty good seasons doing it the way we did it. Personally, I have zero regrets. It just happens. There's injuries that happen in baseball. This is an unfortunate one. It’s obviously tough for him, for us and for baseball.”

Minasian also added that the tear is in a different part of the UCL than where Ohtani tore the ligament for the first time in 2018. But Minasian wouldn’t say whether it was a full or partial tear, or what grade. It could be a reason, however, why Ohtani didn’t feel the injury coming on.

“Part of the reason why this time was different from last time from a symptom standpoint, and I’m not going to get into details of it, but the tear is in a different place,” Minasian said. “So the tear being in a different place has different symptoms, so it didn't feel like it did when it happened in '18.”

Ohtani is also getting his second opinion with the help of his representation, and Minasian said he didn’t have a timeline for how long the process will take. But until then, Ohtani will continue to be in the lineup for the Angels.

“I have no update there,” Minasian said. “That’s his decision on what he wants to do and he’ll decide what he wants to do. And he’ll relay it at the proper time.”