TEMPE, Ariz. — The bombshell story about Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter came as a surprise to those in the Angels clubhouse.
The Angels, who had an off day Thursday, reconvened as a group Friday morning for the first time since the news broke Wednesday afternoon about Ohtani and interpreter Ippei Mizuhara being connected to a federal investigation involving sports gambling.
Mizuhara initially told ESPN that Ohtani paid $4.5 million to cover his gambling losses, and then the story changed and Ohtani’s representatives claimed Mizuhara stole the money.
“Shocked as anyone,” Angels outfielder Mickey Moniak said. “Definitely had no inclination and information that would lead to that. Definitely shocked.”
Other players who had been with the Angels during all or parts of Ohtani’s six years with the team either said they were surprised or declined to comment entirely.
“Weird,” said left-hander Patrick Sandoval, who had spent as much time with Ohtani as anyone over parts of the previous five seasons. “That’s all I can really say about it. Really weird.”
While players did not want to go on the record, speaking privately there was a consensus that Ohtani did not seem to show interest in other sports. That would seem to support Mizuhara’s assertion that he was betting for himself, rather than placing bets for Ohtani. Mizuhara reportedly also said that none of the bets were on baseball.
ROSTER NEWS
The Angels sent down infielder Livan Soto and right-hander Ben Joyce, two players who had been in the running for spots on the Opening Day roster.
The move with Soto leaves infielders Miguel Sanó and Ehire Adrianza in the running for the final position player roster spot.
It is possible that the Angels could keep both players if first baseman Nolan Schanuel, who has been out with back tightness, is not ready. Schanuel was set to do some baseball activity Friday, and manager Ron Washington said he might be able to play Saturday if that went well.
Infielder Luis Rengifo, who had been out with a hamstring issue, was removed from the medical report. He is set to play Saturday.
The Angels also have roster decisions to make regarding outfielder Jake Marisnick and left-hander Drew Pomeranz. The collective bargaining agreement provided an out for both players to become free agents Sunday. The players had to make the requests Friday.
Neither Marisnick nor Pomeranz would say what he had decided, but both said they hoped to be in the big leagues with the Angels.
“I felt like it’s been good,” Marisnick said of his spring. “I came in and did what I needed to do. Felt good running. That’s a big part of my game. It’s important to show that.”
Marisnick, 32, hit .353 with a 1.018 OPS through 35 plate appearances this spring. He is presumably behind five other outfielders, though: Mike Trout, Taylor Ward, Aaron Hicks, Jo Adell and Moniak.
Pomeranz, 35, has allowed five earned runs in eight innings, but four of them were in one game. He has not pitched in the big leagues since 2021 because of a series of injuries.
“If I can just be healthy, that’s pretty good,” Pomeranz said. “I felt like I’ve been pretty good, and I’ve gotten better. This is the most I’ve pitched consecutively in years. I think I’m just going to keep improving from here.”
Pomeranz is now one of four pitchers in the running for the final two spots in the bullpen, now that Joyce has been sent out. The others are right-handers Jose Soriano, Guillo Zuñiga and Hunter Strickland. Soriano, who started the exhibition game Friday, could remain as a starter in the minors or pitch in the major-league bullpen.
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NOTES
Sandoval threw six innings in an intrasquad game on Friday, his final tuneup before starting Opening Day on Thursday in Baltimore. “I think the in-game adjustments are going really well,” Sandoval said. “Fixing my fastball up, playing stuff off it is good. Pretty much the whole camp I’ve just been trying to re-establish my fastball and throw it with a little bit more confidence. The first, fourth and this (outing) I think have been really positive for me.” …
Sandoval, who is the Angels player rep to the union, had no comment on the reported fight within the union to remove Bruce Meyer from his job as deputy director of the Major League Baseball Players Assn. …
The Angels also sent down outfielder Willie Calhoun, infielder Cole Fontenelle and catcher Caleb Hamilton.