Los Angeles Angels two-way rookie Shohei Ohtani will be re-evaluated within the next three weeks to gauge progress in his recovery from a sprained ligament in his right elbow.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia announced the slight adjustment to Ohtani’s timeline Monday before his club opened an interleague series against Arizona.

Scioscia also said the Angels are ”very optimistic” about Ohtani’s prognosis. The Japanese star has been simulating swings with a bat in his left hand and participating in strength training and running for the past three to four days. A right-handed pitcher and left-handed batter Donte Jackson Jersey , he won’t throw for at least two more weeks.

Ohtani is ”doing as much as he can without impacting his elbow,” Scioscia said.

The Angels initially said Ohtani would be re-evaluated within three weeks after his injections of platelet-rich plasma and stem cells. That procedure occurred June 7, one day after the Grade 2 sprain was discovered.

Scioscia said Monday the checkup will happen ”in two to three weeks,” indicating the Angels might not take the next step in Ohtani’s recovery until July.

”We’re not quite there yet,” Scioscia said. ”But I think within the two- or three-week range from now, when he’s evaluated, we’ll certainly have an idea of what you can add to his workload, what he’s able to do. Get an idea where exactly the healing process is, quantify it, and we’ll have an idea.”

Ohtani hasn’t played since June 6, when he left a start after four innings due to another blister on his fingers. The Angels subsequently discovered the strained ligament and took quick steps in hopes of avoiding Tommy John surgery for their prized rookie.

Scioscia declined to speculate about whether Ohtani could continue his career as a designated hitter if he was unable to pitch for a prolonged period.

”(When) we talk about Shohei, it’s really two different players DJ Moore Jersey ,” Scioscia said. ”And one does not necessarily impact the other unless he was doing both at the same time, like when he’s pitching and he needed days off to recover and then he could hit.”

Ohtani, who turns 24 next month, is off to an outstanding start in his first stateside season as baseball’s most successful two-way player in decades. He is 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA on the mound, and is batting .289 with six homers and 20 RBIs during 30 starts as a designated hitter.

The Angels have been on the road since Ohtani’s injury was discovered, but they returned to Anaheim on Sunday night to begin their only week at home until July.

”Initially, he was obviously very disappointed (by the injury),” Scioscia said. ”I think that as he’s gone through this first week of therapy, I think he’s come to grips with it and understands exactly what the process will be. The medical staff and Dr. (Steve) Yoon are very optimistic, so we’ll evaluate in two to three weeks, get a better idea.”

—

Madison Bumgarner isn’t easily impressed in pregame warmups.

Thursday night was different.

”I don’t put a lot of stock into the bullpen before the game, but today I could tell that the stuff was picking up a little Youth Harrison Phillips Jersey ,” the 2014 World Series MVP said.

Bumgarner pitched eight innings of three-hit ball for his first win this season, Mark Melancon earned his first save in a year and the San Francisco Giants beat the San Diego Padres 3-0.

”It was the Madison we know,” Giants manager Bruce Bochy said.

San Francisco won for the fourth time in five games and sent the last-place Padres to their fifth straight loss.

Bumgarner (1-2) struck out eight and walked two in his best start since coming off the disabled list. He also drove in the first run with a sacrifice fly.

”It was the type of game we’ve seen so many times from him,” Bochy said. ”We needed it because their guy pitched well, too.”

Bumgarner outdueled Tyson Ross (5-5), who gave up one run and four hits in seven innings. Ross struck out three and walked three.

”This is what you want to do as a pitcher, to go toe-to-toe against a guy,” he said. ”You just have to give your team a chance to win. He was little bit better tonight.”

Bumgarner began the season on the DL with a broken pinkie on his pitching hand sustained in his final spring training start when he was hit by a line drive. The ace left-hander was 0-2 with a 4.67 ERA in three previous outings since being reinstated.

Bumgarner’s sacrifice fly scored Pablo Sandoval in the fifth. Sandoval singled leading off the inning and Joe Panik followed with a double.

It was the fourth time in his career Bumgarner made a scoreless start and had the game-winning RBI, tying Stephen Strasburg and Fernando Valenzuela for the most such games by any pitcher in the last 40 years, according to STATS.

The Padres’ best scoring chance came in the fifth, when Jose Pirela was thrown out at home trying to score from second on Manuel Margot’s one-out double to deep right field. Giants catcher Buster Posey tagged out Pirela after a perfect relay from Andrew McCutchen and Panik.

”We had one chance offensively and we ran through a stop sign, which took away that one opportunity Youth Taron Johnson Jersey ,” Padres manager Andy Green said.

Melancon, who started the season on the DL with a right elbow flexor strain, pitched the ninth for his first save since June 20, 2017.

DROUGHT BUSTER

Bumgarner was winless in his six previous starts against the Padres. He was 0-4 with a 4.73 ERA during that stretch.

TRAINER’S ROOM

Padres: OF Wil Myers (left oblique strain) and Maton (right lat strain) were reinstated from the 10-day DL, and RHP Colin Rea (right shoulder strain) was activated from the 60-day DL. … OF Franchy Cordero (right elbow bone spur) was transferred to the 60-day DL and RHP Phil Hughes (right rhomboid strain) was placed on the 10-day DL. … OF Franmil Reyes was optioned to Triple-A El Paso. … RHP Bryan Mitchell (right elbow impingement) had an MRI on Wednesday that showed inflammation in the affected area but no ligament damage, Green said. Mitchell is expected to start throwing in four or five days.

Giants: SS Brandon Crawford was reinstated from the paternity list and was in the starting lineup. … INF Kelby Tomlinson was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento. … RHP Hunter Strickland (broken right pinkie) will have more X-rays in two weeks to determine if two pins he had surgically inserted on Wednesday can be removed. The 29-year-old reliever was injured when he punched a door in frustration after a blown save against Miami on Monday. … RHP Johnny Cueto (right elbow inflammation) will throw 40 pitches in a rehab start with Triple-A Sacramento on Saturday. … RHP Jeff Samardzija (right shoulder tightness) threw 73 pitches in his second rehab start with Sacramento.

UP NEXT

LHP Clayton Richard (6-6, 4.31 ERA) will make his team-leading 16th start for the Padres. He’s 5-2 with a 3.04 ERA over his last eight. Giants RHP Chris Stratton (8-4, 4.22) hasn’t allowed a run over 13 2/3 innings in two career starts against San Diego.

—