What to expect from Shohei Ohtani’s return to the mound

After a more than two week absence from the mound, Shohei Ohtani will start for the Angels on Tuesday night. According to Joe Maddon, the plan is for him to be right around that 75-pitch mark, saying he could probably go up to 80 pitches.

“You just have to watch and see coming off that blister,” Maddon said. “Pay attention, it could be more or less. He’s feeling pretty good.”

Maddon said that the Angels won’t have him in the starting lineup tomorrow like the last time, as they just want to be extra cautious with him. If the start doesn’t go well or if they have to pull him early, Maddon doesn’t want to lose a bench piece early in the game to put the Angels in a hole.

He said he’s talked with Ohtani about being in the starting lineup on Wednesday following the start, but he says he’s not sure yet. Maddon said he’ll likely wait until after Ohtani pitches to hear from him on how he’s feeling and what he wants to do.

News and notes

• Anthony Rendon resumed baseball activities on Monday. He was hitting off a tee and doing some fielding and throwing. He’s eligible to return from the IL on Wednesday, but it looks like he’ll miss some more time. Maddon said his return isn’t far down the road, but it certainly looks like it’ll be a few additional days following Wednesday that we can see Rendon return.
• Alex Cobb will start on Thursday in Houston. Maddon said that’s when he wanted Cobb to go.
• Dexter Fowler will undergo surgery to repair his torn ACL on April 27. He’s expected to make a full recovery, but he’ll be out for the season.