Shohei Ohtani appears to have gotten an upgrade to his operating system.
The Los Angeles Angels star took the field Saturday sporting a large protective brace on his right elbow that made him look cyborg-like. Maria Torres of the LA Times shared video, which included Ohtani briefly running the bases.
Shohei Ohtani today started wearing a protective brace on his right arm while running the bases. The kind worn by Tommy John patients. He is Robo Arm pic.twitter.com/fN3dZl2p8b
— Maria Torres (@maria_torres3) April 20, 2019
Here Ohtani actually runs pic.twitter.com/XHJGZt2oKL
— Maria Torres (@maria_torres3) April 20, 2019
After a meteoric debut MLB season catapulted the two-way sensation Ohtani to AL Rookie of the Year honors in 2018, he underwent Tommy John surgery last October to repair a UCL injury to that right throwing elbow. While he will not return as a pitcher until at least 2020, the 24-year-old could be back in the Angels lineup as a batter as soon as next month.
Giant braces notwithstanding, Ohtani seems to be progressing well, especially if the missile that he smoked in batting practice this week is any indication.
