Shohei Ohtani's return to the mound lasted five batters on Wednesday.
The Los Angeles Angels two-way phenom exited his start against the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning with arm fatigue, the team announced. He did not remain in the game as a designated hitter.
Ohtani had been pitching for the first time in two weeks after missing his last turn in the rotation due to arm fatigue. Angels manager Phil Nevin emphasized at the time that Ohtani wasn't injured, calling the issue "regular arm fatigue" and promising he would be ready for this week's series against the Reds.
Curiously, the Angels replaced Ohtani with starting pitcher Tyler Anderson rather than a traditional reliever. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register surmised the Angels could have known something was wrong with Ohtani because Nevin told reporters before the game that his team's pitching this weekend was undetermined.
Ohtani's pitches were also significantly down in velocity, with his four-seam fastball averaging 3.8 mph lower than his season numbers, per Baseball Savant.
Before his exit, Ohtani crushed a 442-foot home run for his 44th of the season, pushing him ahead of Atlanta Braves first baseman Matt Olson for the MLB lead.
At this point, any time lost for Ohtani would be a massive blow for the Angels, though it might already be too late.
The team bet big on making the playoffs with Ohtani in his final season before free agency, buying at the trade deadline by dealing top-100 prospect Edgar Quero and another significant prospect in Ky Bush for Chicago White Sox starting pitcher Lucas Giolito. So far, that bet has gone bust, with the team holding a 5-14 record since the deadline.
The Angels currently sit at 61-65 and a full 10 games back from the third and final AL wild-card spot. Mike Trout is back, at least, but things are clearly not going well in Anaheim.