When the Philadelphia Phillies released their 2023 schedule, there were a few home series that were certainly marked as must-watch — and even must-attend — events by fans. One of those series is the upcoming three-game set at Citizens Bank Park where the Phillies will play host to the Los Angeles Angels.
The series, set to begin Monday evening, was viewed as a chance for fans to see Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani play. Trout, a South Jersey native, and Ohtani, a superstar two-way player, have made the Angels an attractive team to watch in recent years.
Unfortunately for Phillies fans hoping to get a glimpse at two of baseball’s top talents, the Halos could be without both Trout and Ohtani during their series in South Philly.
As recently as a week ago, it was unclear if the 32-year-old Trout would make an appearance at Citizens Bank Park next week. The veteran outfielder was on the injured list with a hamate fracture in his left wrist that he suffered earlier this summer.
However, Trout was activated from the IL on Tuesday and played for L.A. that night, so it looked like he would end up playing against the Phillies in South Philly after all.
That possibility was quickly put to bed, though. After sitting out the Angels doubleheader yesterday, the club’s general manager, Perry Minasian, announced Trout was going back on the IL after the 11-time All-Star felt too much discomfort in his wrist to play through the pain. And that wasn’t the only unfortunate news Minasian had to report.
While the Trout announcement is big given his status as one of the greatest players in the history of the game, the bigger news to come out of Anaheim in the last 12 hours or so is that Ohtani has a torn ulnar collateral ligament, or UCL, in in throwing elbow for the second time in his career. With that, the Japanese-born superstar will not pitch for the remainder of the season.
What’s unclear at the moment, though, is whether or not Ohtani, who is both a frontline starter and middle-of-the-order bat for L.A., will stay off the injured list and continue to hit for the remainder of the season.
It’s important to note that while Ohtani does have a UCL tear, it’s not uncommon for players to be able to hit with that type of injury. While Ohtani was pulled from L.A.’s first game yesterday, he played in their second, going 1-for-5 with a double. Also, Phillies fans are no stranger to a player hitting through a UCL tear — Bryce Harper did so for almost all of last season.
Either way, it’s still a letdown for Phillies fans who were hoping to see the 29-year-old pitch at Citizens Bank Park sometime next week. As mentioned above, Ohtani pitched in Game 1 of the Angels doubleheader yesterday before he was pulled from the start with what was originally diagnosed as arm fatigue by the club.
If Ohtani were healthy, his next start likely would’ve come Tuesday against the Phillies.
Both Trout and Ohtani have made appearances in South Philly before.
Trout — a career .301/.412/.582 hitter with 368 home runs — has played in five games at Citizens Bank Park — two in 2014 and three last year. The three-time AL MVP combined to go just 2-for-20 in those games, though.
As for Ohtani — a lifetime .274/.364/.557 hitter with a 3.01 ERA in 481 2/3 innings pitched in the Major Leagues — he also appeared in three games at Citizens Bank Park in 2022. While he didn’t pitch, he made 13 plate appearances, recording two hits and three walks.
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