AL Rookie of the Year Shohei Ohtani has been medically cleared to resume full strength

training on his right arm following Tommy John surgery Jake Lamb Jersey , although he will not be ready to hit for the Los Angeles Angels by opening day.Angels general manager Billy Eppler provided a positive update Thursday on the recovery of his two-way star, who had surgery Oct. 1.The Angels expect Ohtani to be their designated hitter at some point in 2019, but he will not be active when the Angels open the regular season in late March, Eppler says. Ohtani is not expected to pitch again until 2020.“It’s clear to us that the timing of his progression will not allow him to be active for opening day,” Eppler said. “Anything beyond that, I cannot answer at this time, because it’s a multilayered progression that he has to go through. To pinpoint a time is unrealistic.”Ohtani’s latest appointment with Dr. Neal El Attrache “went really well,” according to Eppler. Ohtani was cleared to begin weight training Friday as the right-hander rebuilds strength on his right side.Ohtani had already begun lower-body conditioning, Eppler said. When his upper-body strength returns to an acceptable level, which typically occurs after a few weeks of weight training, he will be cleared to take dry swings.Ohtani will report to the Angels’ spring training camp in Tempe, Arizona http://www.diamondbacksfanproshop.com/authentic-zack-greinke-jersey , before their first workout for pitchers and catchers on Feb. 13. He will participate in camp, but only in his current rehab program.“He’ll be doing what he’s been medically cleared to do,” Eppler said.During his dynamic rookie year in the majors, Ohtani batted .285 with 22 homers and 61 RBIs in just 367 plate appearances while going 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 10 pitching starts.Eppler declined to speculate on the length of Ohtani’s current conditioning stretch, or when he will return to any phase of hitting. Ohtani is attempting a unique recovery from Tommy John surgery as he tries to continue his hitting career while resting his pitching arm for the customary length of elbow ligament replacement rehabilitation.Eppler also gave an encouraging update on first baseman Albert Pujols, who hasn’t played since having surgery on his left knee in late August. The three-time NL MVP has been hitting “for a while now,” Eppler said, and has increased his weight training.“We’re very optimistic that the next stage for him is when we get out on the field and start moving around a little bit more, and then incorporating at-bats in games,” Eppler said.The 39-year-old Pujols has three years remaining on his $240 million contract. He batted .245 last season with 19 homers, putting him sixth in baseball history with 633 homers heading into this year. WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — If three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer has his way Jeff Mathis Jersey , Major League Baseball’s pitch clock will die in the South Florida humidity.“I know as players that’s something that MLB is trying to negotiate,” the Washington Nationals ace said Saturday night. “I don’t think there’s negotiation here. As players, it just shouldn’t be in the game. Having a pitch clock, if you have ball-strike implications, that’s messing with the fabric of the game. There’s no clock in baseball and there’s no clock in baseball for a reason.”After pushing for an agreement with players last season, management decided on its own to experiment with a 20-second pitch clock during spring training this year, part of the sport’s effort to speed the pace of play. Owners have the right to implement the clock for the regular season but would prefer to reach an agreement with the union.Under the phase-in designed to allow teams to get used to the concept without fear of penalty, pitchers and batters who were taking too long in Saturday’s games were merely warned to hurry up.When the policy, which has been used in some minor leagues since 2015, is phased in, a ball could be charged in certain situations to pitchers who do not begin their motion in time. Batters delaying the game might draw a strike.Washington played its Grapefruit League opener Saturday night against Houston. Scherzer came close to using the full 20 seconds on a couple of occasions with runners on base, but the clock didn’t expire.The Ballpark of the Palm Beaches features a pitch clock beneath the main outfield scoreboard and two at ground level behind home plate near each dugout.“Now having to actually throw to it http://www.philliesfanproshop.com/authentic-pat-neshek-jersey , I think it’s more of a distraction than anything,” Scherzer said. “I get that there are parts of the game that we can clean up and I think that there can be meaningful changes. I’m fundamentally against this.”A newly elected member of the Major League Baseball Players Association’s executive board, Scherzer felt his first outing dragging a bit, attributing the slow play to a high amount of foul balls. He referenced an article published a few days ago by FiveThirtyEight citing an increase in foul balls as being a major reason for longer games.“I’m not going to put my name next to this clock,” he said.Scherzer allowed one run on Jake Marisnick’s homer, one of three hits he gave up in two innings. He struck out three and walked one while throwing 25 of 44 pitches for strikes.The home run by Marisnick to straightaway center field led off the game and came on a 2-2 fastball.“It’s a fastball right down the middle, that’s what it goes back to,” Scherzer said. “I’ve got to get that fastball to the edge.”