Well he can still hit, but he can't pitch

Shohei Ohtani went 4-for-4 with two home runs, three RBI, a walk, a stolen base and four runs scored to key a 9-3 win over the Rangers on Wednesday.

That's how you fill up a box score. It was announced earlier in the day that he needs Tommy John surgery on his pitching arm, but he didn't let that detract from his batting prowess. Ohtani swatted a solo shot off Austin Bibens-Dirkx and a two-run bomb off Eddie Butler. He reached base all five trips to the plate and swiped his seventh base of the season. The amazing two-way talent is slashing .287/.367/.579 with 18 home runs and 47 RBI in 247 at-bats on the season.

Shohei Ohtani and the Angels received awful news regarding his long-term outlook when an MRI on Wednesday revealed new damage to the UCL in his right elbow. The 24-year-old righty lasted just 2 1/3 innings in his return to the mound on Sunday and experienced a significant decrease in velocity in his final inning of work against the Astros. It was reported at the time that the drop in velocity was the result of tightness in his back and issues with his finger, not his elbow. Angels general manager Billy Eppler told reporters that Ohtani hasn't decided whether or not he'll undergo Tommy John surgery yet and that the organization still views him as a two-way player. Regardless of what Ohtani ultimately decides, losing one of the most exciting players in baseball for any period of time would be a crushing blow. It certainly feels inevitable that Ohtani will be forced to undergo elbow surgery if he wants to pitch again in the future, but it’s too early in the process to speculate on how much time he would miss before he could potentially return as a hitter.

The biggest question for fantasy owners moving forward is whether the injury will impact Ohtani at the plate. So far, it hasn’t. Not in the least. The two-way phenom went 4-for-4 with a pair of home runs, stole his seventh base of the year, and reached base safely in all five of his plate appearances against the Rangers on Wednesday night. He’s been one of the hottest hitters in baseball since the All-Star break, hitting .294 (32-for-109) with 11 homers, 25 RBI and five steals in 38 games since July 20. He’s expected to continue to serve as the Angels’ designated hitter over the remainder of the regular season and remains one of the most valuable long-term assets in fantasy baseball.

 Multi-Story

Move over, Giancarlo Stanton. Rockies slugger Trevor Story connected on a 92-mph heater from Giants starter Andrew Suarez, launching a historic 505-foot homer -- the longest home run of the Statcast Era -- in the fourth inning. He finished 3-for-4 with three homers in a win over San Francisco in Coors Field on Wednesday. It was the 13th three-homer performance in the big leagues this season and the first since Rangers rookie slugger Ronald Guzman back on August 10. Simply put, we’re running out of adjectives to describe the 25-year-old shortstop, who has evolved into arguably the most valuable hitter in fantasy baseball this season. He’s worked his way into the conversation as a dark horse National League MVP candidate thanks to his unique combination of elite raw power and plus-speed. He's hitting .298/.354/.566 with 77 runs scored, 31 homers, 95 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 582 plate appearances and has a legitimate chance to become the first hitter to record a 30-homer, 30-steal campaign since Mike Trout and Ryan Braun accomplished the feat in 2012.

Bregman Blasts Off

Alex Bregman went 2-for-3 with a two-run homer, his 29th of the year, and five RBI to lead the Astros to a blowout victory over the Twins on Wednesday. He also walked twice in the contest for good measure. The 24-year-old shortstop has morphed into a true four-category fantasy monster -- with the ability to chip in the occasional stolen base -- thanks to his rare blend of elite contact skills, plate discipline, raw power and plus-speed. He’s hitting an absurd .298/.399/.557 with 95 runs scored, 29 homers, 96 RBI and 10 stolen bases in 617 plate appearances this year.

Over-the-fence power and batting average, the main surface statistics fantasy owners naturally gravitate towards to form their opinions, only begin scratch the surface when it comes to revealing Bregman’s prodigious talent at the plate. He entered Wednesday as one of only five qualified hitters (Mike Trout, Joey Votto, Jose Ramirez, Carlos Santana and Bregman) with more walks than strikeouts this season and now leads the major leagues in extra-base hits (77) and doubles (47) this season. To put all of these impressive numbers in context, Bregman has a realistic shot at becoming the first big-league hitter to hit above .300 with 50-plus doubles, 30-plus homers and 10-plus stolen bases since Matt Holliday in 2007. It’s a feat that’s only been accomplished three times since 2000. However, we may see two young shortstops reach those lofty statistical benchmarks this year. The other plays his home games in Coors Field. You may have heard of him.

Stroman Shutdown Imminent

Marcus Stroman (blister) will not make his next start against the Indians on Saturday. Blue Jays manager John Gibbons told reporters on Wednesday that they're unsure if Stroman will start again in 2018. He was lit up for four runs on six hits over 1 2/3 innings in a loss to the Rays on Monday. It was his shortest outing of the year and it came after he missed two and a half weeks with a blister on his right middle finger. There’s a realistic chance he will not pitch again until next season.

It feels like a lifetime ago, but it was just a few years ago when the “Stro Show” burst onto the scene as one of the most electrifying pitching prospects in the entire game. He posted a 3.65 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 111/28 K/BB ratio in 28 appearances (20 starts) as a rookie in 2014. Armed with a deadly six-pitch repertoire and extremely strong underlying peripheral numbers, the 5-foot-8 right-hander appeared to be on the precipice of establishing himself as not only the Blue Jays’ ace of the future, but a burgeoning young superstar in the game as well. Unfortunately, a torn ACL in his left knee during a fielding drill the following spring training derailed his meteoric rise. Stroman made a miraculous recovery, returning to big-league mound less than six months after undergoing major knee surgery. Yet, he’s never come close to recapturing the brilliance and fulfilling the promise he displayed during his dazzling rookie campaign.

To his credit, he’s been extremely durable over the last few years. He’s one of only only eight starting pitchers to eclipse the 200-inning plateau in each of the last two seasons. He won’t reach that mark again in 2018 due to persistent blister issues, but it’s worth noting that he’s been extremely reliable from a health standpoint. However, his raw surface statistics have devolved into extremely pedestrian territory in recent years. Since the start of the 2016 campaign, he’s posted a 26-28 record with a 4.10 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 407/152 K/BB ratio in 84 starts. He’s evolved into pure sinkerballer who relies primarily on weak contact and ground balls to turn over opposing lineups and simply doesn’t strike out enough batters to be considered anything more than a back-end rotation starter from a fantasy perspective moving forward. At 27-years-old, it’s too soon to write off Stroman completely after a single injury-marred lost season. However, it’s nearly impossible to forecast a dramatic metamorphosis or even mild progression without some compelling evidence that he’s making significant adjustments heading into 2019.


American League Quick Hits: Edwin Diaz pitched a scoreless inning and struck out two to pick up his 53rd save in the Mariners’ win over the Orioles … Mitch Haniger went 1-for-4 with a homer and extended his major league-leading hit streak to 17 games in that contest … Corey Kluber struck out 10 batters over 6 2/3 innings of one-run ball in the Indians' 3-1 victory over the Royals … Brad Hand notched his 32nd save of the year in that one … Craig Kimbrel nailed down his 38th save of the year in a win over the Braves … Kevin Kiermaier went 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs in a loss to the Blue Jays … Jeimer Candelario went 3-for-6 with a homer in the Tigers’ rout of the White Sox … Michael Kopech was lit up for seven runs in 3 1/3 innings in that contest … Gary Sanchez hit a two-run homer in the Yankees’ loss to the Athletics … Charlie Morton (shoulder) will start against the Red Sox on Saturday … Michael Fulmer (shin) is expected to take his next scheduled turn in the Tigers' rotation … According to MLB.com's Bryan Hoch, Aroldis Chapman (knee) has been walking on a treadmill and throwing from flat ground … Yankees manager Aaron Boone told reporters that Didi Gregorius (heel) will likely be activated on Friday … Miguel Sano (leg) is hopeful to return to the Twins' lineup by Friday … Brett Anderson (forearm) threw a bullpen session on Wednesday, and will throw a simulated game on Saturday … Danny Duffy (shoulder) has been shut down for the remainder of the 2018 season … Clint Frazier (concussion) suffered a setback and is unlikely to play again this season …

National League Quick Hits: Kenley Jansen will not travel with the Dodgers for their series in Colorado, which starts on Friday … Yadier Molina exited Wednesday's game against the Nationals with hamstring tightness … Ronald Acuna slugged his 24th homer of the year in a loss to the Red Sox … Felipe Vasquez collected his 30th save of the year against the Reds … Anthony Rendon went 3-for-5 in the Nationals’ loss to the Cardinals … Carlos Martinez pitched two scoreless innings and notched a save against in that contest ... Marcell Ozuna went 4-for-5 in that one as well ... Daniel Murphy went 3-for-4 with a homer in the Cubs’ win over the Brewers … Max Muncy slugged his 32nd homer of the year in the Dodgers’ loss to the Mets … Zack Wheeler struck out nine batters over seven innings in that contest … Sean Doolittle (foot) threw a simulated game on Wednesday … Jason Heyward (hamstring) has yet to resume baseball activities … Cubs manager Joe Maddon told reporters on Wednesday that there is "barely" enough time for Morrow to return in 2018 … Kolten Wong may need to undergo offseason surgery on his left knee …