For now, all the Rays can do is wait -- and marvel from afar. On Monday night in Anaheim, they’ll have their turn to face baseball’s captivating, eye-popping, two-way star: Shohei Ohtani.

In a blockbuster matchup, Ohtani will pitch opposite Rays ace Tyler Glasnow. That’s got must-see TV written all over it.

“It should be a good show. They call it ‘Show-tani,’ right?” Rays infielder Mike Brosseau said. “He’s a physical specimen. I’ve heard he’s way bigger than he looks on TV. It’ll be exciting. I think his work speaks for itself. Just to see it in person, I’m definitely looking forward to that.”

Ohtani isn’t entirely new to the league, but due to past injuries and the regionalized schedule of 2020, all but Joey Wendle will be seeing him for the first time.

Even as their competition, Ohtani inspires praise from Rays hitters. After all, we are talking about someone who’s in the company of Babe Ruth and can light up triple digits on a radar gun from the mound or the plate.

“Take some time to really appreciate what he's doing,” Rays second baseman Brandon Lowe said. “There's not a whole lot of guys that can hit a ball 120 [mph] and throw a ball 100 [mph]. I think a lot of people would be happy with just one of those things. It's extremely impressive that he can be both of them and be as good and as consistent as he is.”

For Glasnow, he’ll have to settle for excellence in pitching by pumping upper-echelon fastballs (97th percentile in average velocity, topping out at 100.7 mph) and racking up quality starts.

He called Ohtani a “very rare talent” and is looking forward to the duel, but Glasnow brings plenty of his own pizzazz to the marquee matchup. In his past 13 starts, Glasnow is 8-1 with a 2.37 ERA, posting 120 strikeouts over 79 2/3 innings.

Ohtani -- one off the league lead with eight home runs -- has batted during two of his three games as a starting pitcher this season, so it’s possible fans will see some direct Glasnow vs. Ohtani action on Monday. On the other side, it’s a safe bet that Glasnow won’t take a turn in the batter’s box, although he did go 5-for-17 (.294) with the Pirates back in 2017.

“If [Rays manager Kevin] Cash let me hit, I definitely would,” Glasnow said with a laugh.

Wishful thinking, perhaps. Fans have plenty to look forward to on Monday as it is.

Injury updates

• After throwing a simulated game on Saturday, reliever Pete Fairbanks (10-day injured list, rotator cuff) will join the Rays on their upcoming road trip, Cash said. The plan is for Fairbanks to throw once more before likely being activated at some point during the seven-game swing.

• Collin McHugh (10-day IL, lower back) threw two innings of a sim game on Sunday and is “definitely going in the right direction,” Cash said. The next steps for McHugh are a bit unclear, especially because he needs to be stretched out for a variety of relief roles, but he will also travel with the team for the upcoming week.

• Ji-Man Choi (10-day IL, right knee) batted against Fairbanks in Saturday’s sim game, but Cash said it’s “tough to tell” exactly how he’s progressing without participating in game action. That’s why Choi is set to join Triple-A Durham to start the season. Cash said activating Choi in time for the next homestand (beginning May 11) is a possibility.