Angels Use Shohei Ohtani Body Double for Team Picture

The Angels couldn't wait for the real thing on Photo Day.

Tuesday was photo day for the Los Angeles Angels, but they couldn’t wait for their biggest star Shohei Ohtani to take the photo. The Angels used a body double in the photo, and will use photoshop to put Ohtani’s face in the team photo.

Today was Angels photo day. But Shohei Ohtani wasn’t available for it. So they used a body double, and will presumably photoshop him in. He was taken through a back exit by Angels PR. pic.twitter.com/5yFuDjLw4o

— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) September 5, 2023

It's unclear why exactly they weren't able to get Ohtani in the photo, but it likely has to do with one of his two injuries and him needing treatment or scans.

Either way, though, it's a pretty sad turn of events for one of baseball's most disappointing teams this season.

Currently, Ohtani is dealing with two serious injuries. If he was only a starting pitcher, his season would have ended about two weeks ago when he tore his UCL. Sometime during the upcoming offseason, Ohtani will undergo some kind of procedure, and he hopes he doesn’t need his second Tommy John surgery. Even if he does, he will be able to be a DH for his new team.

Monday, the Angels scratched Ohtani from the lineup after he suffered an oblique injury. Undoubtedly, while the team photo was taken, Ohtani was getting treatment on his right oblique. The Angels could have postponed the photo session until Ohtani was available.

This season the Angels have done many things that would make people shake their heads. With a slim chance of making the playoffs, the Angels bought a few players at the trading deadline, but the new players didn’t improve their play.

Last week, the Angels put six players on waivers to lower their payroll under the luxury tax threshold. Not waiting for Ohtani for their team picture is only the latest incident to make people laugh at the organization.