Shohei Ohtani

Angels right-hander/slugger Shohei Ohtani has progressed to long tossing from a distance of 180 feet and is following those sessions up with higher-intensity throws from 60 feet, pitching coach Mickey Callaway told reporters on Tuesday (Twitter links via Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register and Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com). The next step for the righty would be to throw off a mound, and while Callaway didn’t put a specific timetable on when that might happen, he noted that it should be “soon.”

Ohtani, 25, hasn’t pitched in a game since Sept. 2, 2018, due to Tommy John surgery that wiped out his entire 2019 campaign — at least on the mound. He, of course, was able to return as the team’s primary designated hitter for much of the season and turned in a generally excellent year, hitting .286/.343/.505 with 18 home runs and a dozen steals in 425 plate appearances.

To this point, it seems as though things are generally on track with expectations put forth just prior to camp. At the time, it was believed that the Angels had been targeting a mid-May return to the big league rotation for the two-way star, and a move to mound sessions in the near future seemingly keeps him on that timeline. With fellow righty Griffin Canning resuming a throwing program after a UCL scare of his own, the Angels are trending in the direction of a full-strength rotation featuring Ohtani, Canning, Andrew Heaney, Julio Teheran and Dylan Bundy to begin the year.

Ohtani has still started just 10 games in his MLB career, although the 51 2/3 innings he tossed were quite promising. During that time, he logged a 3.31 ERA with 11.0 K/9, 3.8 BB/9, 1.05 HR/9 and a 39.2 percent ground-ball rate. Ohtani also turned in a stellar 15.2 percent swinging-strike rate that trailed only Max Scherzer, Chris Sale and Patrick Corbin among starters with at least 50 innings pitched.

The Angels hope to turn Shohei Ohtani back into a two-way performer rather early in the 2020 season — just not quite as soon as might have been hoped. He’s presently on track to step back into the rotation in mid-May, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports (Twitter link).

It’s generally promising to hear that Ohtani has a course charted for polishing off his Tommy John surgery rehab. But it’s not an especially speedy track. Ohtani received his new ulnar collateral ligament on October 1st of 2018 — a procedure that was delayed to allow him to continue serving as a DH late in that immensely impressive rookie campaign.

It was all but inevitable that Ohtani wouldn’t be able to pitch in 2019. There was never any effort to rush him back — for obvious reasons, given his immense long-term value. But it always seemed reasonable to presume that the uber-talented 25-year-old would be ready to roll at the start of the 2020 campaign, at which time he’ll be more than 18 months removed from his surgery.

Ohtani will still be able to serve as a DH from the jump. But missing another six weeks of his mound work — if indeed he’s able to throw in the majors at the projected point — dents the Halos’ hopes to turn in an impressive start-to-finish season that breaks a postseason drought. Toppling the Astros obviously won’t be easy.

This news adds to the impetus to get another arm in the stable. We discussed that matter earlier today in the context of the team’s collapsed bid to acquire Ross Stripling.

Although they’re on the heels of yet another disappointing campaign, the Angels may be in position to make a significant splash on the pitching market this offseason. Whether or not that happens, though, it’s imperative for the club’s beleaguered starting staff to get a healthy Shohei Ohtani back in 2020. Ohtani, who didn’t pitch this year after undergoing Tommy John surgery last October, is progressing in his recovery from TJS and the left knee procedure he underwent last month, per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. The 25-year-old is currently throwing from 100 feet and on schedule to retake the mound toward the end of November, according to Fletcher.

The emergence of Ohtani in 2018, his first stateside season after coming over as a much-ballyhooed Japanese free agent, was one of the most encouraging developments in recent memory for the Angels. Not only did Ohtani star with the bat that year, but he further proved he was worth the free-agent fuss by posting front-end production when he was healthy enough to take the ball. He threw just 51 2/3 innings during a 10-start, injury-limited rookie campaign, but the right-handed hurler made those appearances count with an impressive 3.31 ERA/3.57 FIP, 10.97 K/9 and 3.83 BB/9.

Now, Ohtani’s fresh off another strong (albeit injury-shortened) season as a hitter. The hope is the lefty-swinging DH will continue to provide a solution at that position while enjoying a much healthier year as a pitcher in 2020. If Ohtani’s able to deliver a much larger chunk of innings next year, and if the Angels make some serious noise on the open market (Gerrit Cole? Stephen Strasburg?), it could go a long way toward a much-needed return to contention. The Halos are heading into a crucial offseason in which upgrading their pitching will be a must, regardless of whether general manager Billy Eppler, new skipper Joe Maddon & Co. are counting on substantial contributions from Ohtani.