Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani to miss remainder of 2019 season

2019 hasn't been kind to the Los Angeles Angels, with the team set to miss the postseason as a result of a 67-80 record caused by various injuries and poor performance. On the bright side, perennial MVP front-runner Mike Trout remains the best player in the world but the team's other star, Shohei Ohtani, appeared in only one capacity during the 2019 campaign. Though Ohtani was an offensive weapon for Los Angeles, his season is now over, with the Angels announcing that he will have surgery to deal with bipartite patella in his left knee.

Ohtani's condition is quite rare and the issue was affecting his rehab in an effort to return to pitching. After taking baseball by storm as a unique force, both pitching and hitting at a high level, Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery and did not pitch in 2019. In addition, there was concern that he would not be ready for the 2020 campaign, as previously scheduled, if not for this procedure. 

"We felt like it was better to get it done now because it was causing some reluctance or apprehension, whatever word you want to use, in his mound progressions, and we wanted to continue to increase intensity," Angels general manager Billy Eppler said on a conference call Thursday. "If we increased intensity and pushed on the intensity, and he compromised something in his delivery, that could lead to some unforeseen issues."

The 25-year-old Ohtani will be aiming for a November or December to the mound, all with an eye toward kicking off the 2020 season in two-way fashion. He produced 18 home runs and slugged .505 this season for the Angels, once again proving that his offensive contributions are of significant value. However, Ohtani has been clear that he wants to pitch and, when right physically, there is every reason to believe he'll be able to do so at a high level.