Shohei Ohtani’s locker has been packed up at Angel Stadium, and the Angels decline to say why

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani‘s locker has been largely cleared out at Angel Stadium, and the Los Angeles Angels declined to say why Friday evening.

The two-way celebrity missed his eleventh consecutive sport with an indirect muscle harm Friday evening when the Angels misplaced 11-2 to Detroit. Although Ohtani was on the stadium earlier than the sport, the soon-to-be free agent’s locker was largely empty afterward.

Nearly the entire private objects had been faraway from his locker and the adjoining empty stall. A totally packed bag with a brand from the 2023 All-Star Game sat in entrance of his stall the place his footwear would usually be, and just a few exercise shirts held on the rack.

Nearly a half-hour after reporters had been allowed into the locker room and seen the absence of Ohtani‘s possessions, an Angels spokesman stated the crew will give extra details about the event Saturday.

Ohtani will probably be a free agent this winter after six seasons with the Angels, and his future has been a relentless supply of hypothesis this season, solely rising after the Angels plummeted out of the playoff race in August. Ohtani has been mum about his future, and his current accidents have additional altered the dialogue about his long-term plans.

He has already been shut down as a pitcher this season on account of a tear in his proper elbow ligament, however the Angels had held out hope he might to return as a hitter this month after straining his obliques in batting observe final week.

Ohtani continues to be the frontrunner for his second AL MVP award in three years, however Texas’ Corey Seager may very well be gaining in voters’ minds. Ohtani, who went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA this season, leads the American League with 44 homers, and his 1.066 OPS is the second-best within the majors, now trailing Seager.