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Ohtani expected to throw off mound 'soon'

Bob Levey / Getty Images Sport / Getty

He might not get the chance to pitch in a real game for a while, but Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani is close to getting back on the mound.

Angels pitching coach Mickey Callaway updated the 25-year-old's status Tuesday, saying that Ohtani's rehab from 2018 Tommy John surgery has progressed nicely since Major League Baseball suspended operations due to the coronavirus.

"He's throwing out to 180 feet, long-tossing a little further than that, then coming back in to 60 feet and really letting it go," Callaway told Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register on Tuesday. "So he'll get off a mound soon. Right now, with him especially, we're just taking it day by day, especially during this quarantine thing. But he'll be getting off a mound soon.

"We'll see the timing of everything, whether he's going to be ready whenever we resume. But his arm is feeling great and the ball is coming out great at this point."

Ohtani put up a 3.31 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP with 63 strikeouts as a pitcher over 10 starts in 2018 before undergoing Tommy John surgery that October. Though he was able to play last season as a designated hitter, Ohtani hasn't thrown in a game since September 2018.

Prior to the coronavirus pandemic, the Angels had been expecting Ohtani to make his pitching return in mid-May. Callaway did acknowledge Tuesday that the season's suspension has changed a bit of the timing surrounding Ohtani's rehab and when he might be ready to face hitters again.

"It would probably be unfair to Shohei or anybody to give a certain amount of bullpens," Callaway said. "He's going to need some of them. I know that is a very vague answer. But I think it would be unfair to pigeonhole ourselves.

"If he's able to throw out to 180 feet, long-tossing that far, the one thing we do know is he's healthy and we'll be able to figure it out from there."

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