Angels phenom Ohtani could miss Tuesday start

Shohei Ohtani

Shohei Ohtani's sprained ankle is not serious enough to send him to the DL for now, but the two-way Los Angeles Angels star sat out Saturday's game and his start on Tuesday against the Baltimore Orioles is in question.

The rookie phenom left Friday's game against the New York Yankees in the seventh inning with a mild left ankle sprain he suffered earlier in the game running out a ground ball and landing awkwardly on first base.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia told reporters before Saturday's game the team are not considering putting Ohtani on the disabled list – for now.

"His status is still day to day, which means right now, we're not considering the DL," he said.

"He's a little bit sore, but I think it's something that will be manageable. We're going to evaluate it on a daily basis just to see what he can do."'

But Scioscia said there is cause for concern because the injury is to Ohtani's left ankle, which receives more stress than the other ankle when he is on the mound because he lands on his left foot. He is scheduled to start Tuesday against the Orioles.

"Both are obviously important, but the landing foot would probably have a little more [stress] on it," Scioscia said. "There's more work on the front foot when you land than on the push-off foot."

Ohtani said he thinks he will be OK for Tuesday.

"I feel like I'll be fine to make my next start," Ohtani told reporters through his interpreter.

"But ultimately the decision's not up to me; it's up to the medical staff, the front office, and the coaches. So I'm just gonna take it day-by-day."

The Japanese star has been one of the best stories in baseball in his rookie season, batting .341 with four home runs as a hitter and sporting a 2-1 record and a 4.43 ERA in four starts.