Money talks: Are the Angels putting Shohei Ohtani’s health at risk?

Los Angeles Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani has put the team on his back the last few weeks, but it hasn’t helped their postseason hopes. Now, Ohtani is injured.

Shohei Ohtani left Thursday’s start against the Seattle Mariners — in which he became the first player in MLB history to hit 40 home runs and record 150 strikeouts in two separate seasons in an Angels loss — with cramping in his right middle finger. It should be noted that Ohtani left the game as a pitcher, but was still able to hit for Los Angeles.

“He told me his right middle finger was cramping and he couldn’t straighten it out, so he couldn’t pitch anymore,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “I’ve always trusted him and his body. It’s a finger, so I’m not overly concerned, but we’ll get it checked. He was obviously fine to hit.”

Ohtani, after playing through pain in another narrow defeat, couldn’t hold back the emotions once the Angels fate was sealed.

“It’s not just my finger, I’ve been getting cramps all over the place,” Ohtani said through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara. “I felt like maybe I could have gone another inning or two. But I was trying to feel out my hand and it was a 0-0 game and we couldn’t give up any runs, so I just thought it was better for the team for me to stop pitching at that point.”

Are the Angels putting Shohei Ohtani’s health at risk?

Ohtani is as competitive as they come, so it should come as no surprise that he stayed in the game to hit, and would prefer not to miss any time going forward. The future $500 million man was cramping so hard during his outing that he was seen eating bananas in the dugout to relieve the pain.

As innovative as the Halos medical staff was to keep Ohtani in the game, at some point fans will become concerned with his overall well being. Since Los Angeles went all-in at the trade deadline by acquiring Lucas Giolito, their postseason odds have dropped eight percent, per fangraphs.

It doesn’t help that Ohtani is due to sign the richest contract in MLB history this offseason, and any major injury could significantly hamper his future negotiations.

Winning is most important to Shohei. We saw this at the World Baseball Classic, and in the rare opportunities the Halos have been competitive. But as the Angels continue to slip out of the playoff picture, it’s best not to lose sight of the big picture.