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Former Angels Manager Joe Maddon Believes Shohei Ohtani Should Be Shut Down This Year

Originally posted on FanNation Halos Today
By Matt Levine | Last updated 8/31/23

When the news came out that Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani had suffered another torn UCL, it was met with much frustration. He has been the face of baseball for the last few seasons with his two-way abilities, and nobody likes it when anyone gets hurt.

But Ohtani is the biggest draw in the game, so his injury is going to cause more of a reaction across the league. The severity of the injury remains unknown, but Ohtani is going to continue batting down the stretch of the season.

With the UCL tear, he can still swing a bat, but his days pitching this season are done. With the Halos essentially out of the playoff race — and them now waving the white flag by placing six players on waivers — you do have to wonder whether or not it’s a smart decision to keep Ohtani out there.

One person who knows him and the Angels well is former manager Joe Maddon. On the MLB Network show MLB Now, Maddon spoke on the topic and thinks that the team should shut him down for the rest of the season.

"You are going to jeopardize some at-bats for him next year if he continues this way."

Per Joe Maddon on MLB Now

It’s hard to argue with the former manager because of where the team is in the standings. The hope is that he won’t injure himself any further, but there is always a cause for concern with any injury.

His impending free agency is already likely going to be affected by the UCL tear, so things could just get worse. But Ohtani is the ultimate competitor, and naturally, he wants to be out there with his guys.

They aren’t to blame for his injury, since these things happen during play. But the Angels do have some say in what happens here.

Ohtani wants to help the team try to win games, especially since they aren’t officially eliminated. Even so, at some point, the Angels organization may need to save Ohtani from himself as the season goes on.

This article first appeared on FanNation Halos Today and was syndicated with permission.

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