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ANAHEIM, Calif. — Shohei Ohtani‘s attempts to return from an oblique injury officially came to an end Saturday, when the Los Angeles Angels announced he had been placed on the injured list and will miss the remainder of the season.

Ohtani, a near lock be named the American League MVP for the second time in three years, tweaked his right oblique during a rare session of outdoor batting practice Sept. 4 and proceeded to miss the next 11 games.

Now that he is done playing in 2023, Ohtani is expected to have surgery as soon as possible to address the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that ended his season as a pitcher near the end of August, sources told ESPN’s Buster Olney.

A free agent at season’s end, Ohtani was spotted leaving Angel Stadium by two eyewitnesses around 4 p.m. PT Friday. After the game, his locker had mostly been cleared out.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian is expected to address the media before his team’s 9 p.m. ET game against the Detroit Tigers.

Ohtani, 29, put together another spectacular season despite the abrupt ending to it, slashing .304/.412/.654 while leading the AL in home runs (44), walks (91) and total bases (325) as a hitter. He also went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 132 innings as a pitcher, striking out 167 batters and issuing 55 walks. Despite pitching and hitting for only about five out of six months, Ohtani’s 9.0 FanGraphs wins above replacement easily lead the majors.

He hasn’t spoken publicly since Aug. 9, his last full start before learning about his UCL tear when he next took the mound 14 days later. His agent, Nez Balelo of CAA, said Sept. 4 that Ohtani fully intends to be a two-way player again and that, regardless of the procedure he undergoes on his elbow, Ohtani will be ready to hit “when the bell rings” at the start of the 2024 season.

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Phils expect Turner back Monday after 6 weeks out

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Phils expect Turner back Monday after 6 weeks out

BALTIMORE — The Philadelphia Phillies expect to have star shortstop Trea Turner back Monday, according to manager Rob Thomson.

Thomson said Sunday that Turner would be activated the following day “unless something weird happens.” He hasn’t played since May 3 because of a left hamstring strain.

Turner hit .343 with 10 stolen bases in 33 games before going on the injured list.

The Phillies have kept right on rolling without him. They led the National League East by eight games entering Sunday’s series finale at Baltimore.

Philadelphia hosts San Diego on Monday in its first home game since June 5 — immediately before the team traveled to London for a couple of games against the New York Mets. The Phillies followed that trip with series at Boston and Baltimore.

“It seems like we’ve been gone for a month,” Thomson said.

Edmundo Sosa has played well in Turner’s absence. He hit his fifth homer of the season Saturday.

“He’s huge. I think for the last couple of years, probably the baseball world looked at him as a utility man. Now they’re looking at him like a shortstop,” Thomson said. “So his value is very high right now, as it should be because he’s played very well.”

Sosa figures to have a role going forward as an infield backup — and possibly in the outfield.

“If he’s not playing every day, there’s nothing wrong with getting him some outfield work,” Thomson said. “Just to see what it looks like, just to get him comfortable.”

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Jays’ Bichette (calf) remains out vs. Guardians

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Jays' Bichette (calf) remains out vs. Guardians

Two-time All-Star shortstop Bo Bichette will miss his second straight game Sunday due to right calf soreness as the Toronto Blue Jays wrap up a three-game series against the Cleveland Guardians.

Isiah Kiner-Falefa replaced Bichette at shortstop this weekend, while left fielder Davis Schneider returned to Toronto’s starting lineup after a one-game absence.

Bichette, 26, is hitting .237 with four homers and 28 RBIs in 66 games this season.

A second-round draft pick in 2016 and an All-Star in 2021 and 2023, Bichette is hitting .293 with 93 homers and 340 RBIs in 595 games since making his debut with Toronto in 2019.

Schneider, 25, is hitting .230 with eight homers and 33 RBIs in 63 games this season.

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Cubs’ Hendricks earns starting job back vs. Giants

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Cubs' Hendricks earns starting job back vs. Giants

CHICAGO — Veteran Cubs pitcher Kyle Hendricks will start Wednesday’s game against the Giants, the team announced Sunday.

It will be Hendricks’ first start since giving up eight runs in a May outing against the Pittsburgh Pirates. He has made five relief appearances since then, including three scoreless ones this month.

“We’re down pitchers right now,” manager Craig Counsell said before announcing the move.

The Cubs lost two starters just this week, including Ben Brown to a neck injury and Jordan Wicks to an oblique strain. Wicks came out of Friday’s game against the St. Louis Cardinals after 1⅔ innings, giving way to Hendricks who threw 4⅓ shutout innings in emergency duty.

Despite the 3-0 loss, that outing, along with several other recent ones, earned Hendricks another chance at starting.

“In a lot of ways, Kyle continues to impress you even though he’s had a tough go of it so far,” Counsell said. “He’s worried about the things he can control.”

Hendricks, 34, was demoted to the bullpen after struggling throughout his first seven starts of the season as his ERA ballooned to over 12.00. Those struggles led to speculation that the longest-tenured Cubs player might lose his roster spot, but pitching injuries have continued to pile up for Chicago, giving the right-hander more opportunities.

The team is also down relievers Yency Almonte, Julian Merryweather and Adbert Alzolay.

It’s unclear how long Hendricks will pitch against the Giants after spending the past month in the bullpen, but the Cubs are hopeful he will just continue to get outs as he is coming off arguably his best appearance of the season.

“Kyle pitched wonderfully,” Counsell said after Friday’s game. “Gave us a chance to win.”

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