#The Shohei Ohtani that was promised is back in 2020

“#The Shohei Ohtani that was promised is back in 2020”

June 24, 2020 | 4:28pm

Shohei Ohtani is set to return as a two-way player.

Angels manager Joe Maddon said Wednesday he intends to use a six-man rotation to allow the right-hander to pitch once a week following 2018 Tommy John surgery.

Maddon indicated Ohtani would be ready to play when the season begins and the right-hander threw a 55-pitch live batting practice session in late May.

Before spring training was shut down due to the coronavirus, the Angels said Ohtani was expected to be back on the mound by mid-May. He didn’t pitch last season, limited to DH and pinch-hitting duties.

Ohtani, who turns 26 next month, pitched 10 games in 2018 before being sidelined by the elbow injury. He had a 3.31 ERA in 51 ⅔ innings as a rookie, to go along with 22 homers and a .925 OPS in 367 plate appearances. He followed that up with 18 home runs and an OPS of .848 in 425 plate appearances in 2019.

This season, Ohtani will DH between starts, as he did in his first season in the majors, when Ohtani was typically in the lineup three or four times a week and pitched on Sundays.

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