Shohei Otani, known to many baseball fans as the “Japanese Babe Ruth,” has reportedly suffered an injury to his right ankle and won’t pitch in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
According to Carlos Yamazaki of Tokyo Sports Press, manager Hideki Kuriyama of the Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters (Otani’s club team) made the announcement Tuesday.
Otani is one of the top prospects in baseball. The 22-year-old went 10-4 with the Fighters as a starting pitcher in 2016, but that’s not what makes him special. Otani is an incredible two-way player who batted .322 and hit 22 home runs.
Kuriyama added it’s possible Otani will still participate in the tournament as a batter.
The 2017 WBC takes place from March 6–22 with games spread across the United States, Mexico, Japan and South Korea.
Otani has expressed an interest in making the move to Major League Baseball following the 2017 season, however new rules in the MLB’s collective bargaining agreement could limit his earning potential which in turn could delay a possible MLB debut.
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