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Shohei Ohtani scratched as starting pitcher Monday vs. Rays [UPDATE]

Angels will opt to stat LHP Jose Quintana in place of Ohtani, who will still be in the lineup batting second on Monday night.

Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani walks in the dugout following the first inning against the Seattle Mariners at T-Mobile Park. Ohtani was hit by a pitch during a plate appearance in the first inning. Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The Los Angeles Angels have scratched RHP Shohei Ohtani from Monday’s start vs. the Tampa Bay Rays. LHP Jose Quintana will start in place of Ohtani, who was set to make his fourth pitching appearance of the 2021 season. Ohtani has a 3.29 ERA with 23 Ks in 13.2 IP so far this season. The Angels did not give a reason why Ohtani was scratched from the start or whether or not he’ll be in the lineup batting as the DH vs. the Rays.

Update: Ohtani was scratched from his start but it was clearly not injury related since he’s batting second in the lineup for Monday night’s game vs. the Rays. Here’s the full batting order:

The Angels just dropped a three-game series over the weekend to the Seattle Mariners. At 13-13, the Halos enter Monday in 4th place in the AL West, but are just 2.5 games out of first place. The Angels currently have the players in the 1-2 spot in terms of AL MVP. Mike Trout is the favorite at +200 and Ohtani is behind him at +900 on DraftKings Sportsbook. As a batter, Ohtani is hitting .263 with 8 HRs and 20 RBI. He did play every game over the weekend and the Angels could just be looking to get Ohtani some rest instead of starting on Monday night.

We don’t have the lines up on DKSB with the adjustment needed. Most of the bets on the ML were going toward the Angels against Tyler Glasnow and the Rays. Glasnow is currently the third-best odds to win AL Cy Young at +450 behind Gerrit Cole (+160) and Shane Bieber (+350). If Ohtani isn’t on the mound and is out of the lineup, Glasnow is in a much better spot starting Monday night.