Phil Nevin’s statements carried an undercurrent of hope. The Angels’ manager indicated that two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani might return to the starting lineup for Wednesday’s final game of a losing series against the Baltimore Orioles.

From the Angel Stadium dugout, Nevin told the media, “He’s getting loosened up inside, should have an announcement on the lineup soon.” He thinks he’s in good form today, so he’s going to swing for the fences. In a moment, we’ll have time to discuss it.

After that, we saw the lineup. Not even Ohtani’s nаme appeared on it. He ultimately decided against using the batting cages. According to Nevin, Ohtani thought he needed an extra day of rest.

Ohtani did take some batting practice swings on Thursday (when he swings is when he feels the pаin the most), but he still wasn’t included in the starting lineup.

“His swings were close, but not close enough to start tonight,” Nevin remarked before the Angels’ game against the Cleveland Guardians. “He’s really near…. We’re probably down to the final day or two.

I get the impression that [he is] slightly uneasy. For me, [obliques] require perfection, as ripping them is never a good time. You should never put somebody in dаnger like that.

Ohtani’s right oblique ιnjury forced him to sit out for the fourth straight game. Even after suffering a season-ending ιnjury to the ulnar collateral ligament in his right arm, Ohtani never missed a start. He had only missed two games all season before his oblique ιnjury. This time last year, he was on the field for 157 of the team’s 162 games. In 2021, he appeared in 158 of 162 games. He’s missed five games in a row this week.

The infielder Mike Moustakas responded, “Absolutely,” when asked if it felt strange not having Ohtani in the lineup. When you have a player of his caliber, he should be in the starting lineup every game. And his presence alone strengthens our team’s depth.

“But this game is hard,” Moustakas said. People get hurt and the season is long. I’m crossing my fingers that he’ll be okay.

Ohtani is “day to day” with an oblique ιnjury he sustained while taking batting practice on the field on Monday, something he almost never does. Only three times this season had he taken batting practice on the field before Monday.

The Angels removed Ohtani from the lineup on Monday because to oblique stiffness. Ohtani went to get checked out on Tuesday, and the results indicated that he had oblique inflammation at best.