Angels' Shohei Ohtani continues to show exceptional durability

TORONTO — A day after Shohei Ohtani pitched a shutout and started at DH twice, eventually leaving with what the Angels called cramps, the two-way star was back in the lineup.

Manager Phil Nevin said he checked with Ohtani on Friday morning and was assured that he was “100% ready to go.”

It’s no surprise.

Ohtani’s talent and production are off the charts, but he’s also proved to be exceptionally durable over the past three seasons.

Ohtani was in the starting lineup for the 101st time Friday, in the Angels’ 104th game.

He played 157 games in 2022 and 155 games in 2021. It’s quite a departure from when Ohtani first broke into the majors as a two-way player in 2018, when the Angels believed he needed to be off the entire day before and after he pitched.

Nevin says he checks with Ohtani regularly to see if he needs a break, and Ohtani continues to insist he’s good to go. Nothing in his performance would indicate otherwise.

Nevin said the fact Ohtani is not playing in the field makes it more reasonable to play so much without a day off.

“If he was playing a position, I think it’d be a different story,” Nevin said. “Pitching every six days certainly is a high volume. It takes a lot out you. But he conserves his energy better than anybody. He understands his body better than anybody …  I’m not taking anything away from what he does. It’s certainly a grind. And there’s nobody else that can do it.”

When Nevin was asked if he had any days off scheduled for Ohtani, he smiled and said: “Two Thursdays from now we have an off day.”

Shortstop Zach Neto was a late scratch from the Angels’ lineup Friday because of lower back stiffness.

Neto has been dealing with the issue since last Saturday. He was scheduled to be back in the lineup Wednesday, before the game was rained out, and then he played in the second game of Thursday’s doubleheader.

Ohtani will get an extra day before his next start, which will be Thursday, the first game of a homestand against the Seattle Mariners.

Newly acquired Lucas Giolito will start twice in between Ohtani starts, taking the ball for the series finale in Atlanta on Wednesday. That would be just four days’ rest for Giolito, which is what he had been doing regularly with the Chicago White Sox. The Angels have their starters throw on at least five days’ rest.

“He is used to throwing on his fifth day,” Nevin said. “Because of that, we have no problem with that. As we go forward, there may be times where we’re going to be able to put him on that day and push somebody back.”

The Angels are undecided who will pitch Monday and Tuesday in Atlanta, Nevin said. Griffin Canning’s normal turn would fall on Monday, but the Angels could give him an extra day and use Chase Silseth, or another spot starter, on Monday. They also could have Canning pitch Monday and the spot start Tuesday.

Reynaldo López, who joined the Angels on Thursday after being acquired in a trade with Giolito on Wednesday night, had a rough start with the White Sox this season. He had an 8.27 ERA after his first 19 games of the season.

Since then, López has a 1.75 ERA in 24 games. Opponents have hit .148 against him in that span.

“I just made a little bit of an adjustment on my mechanics and on my fastball and I think that was pretty much it,” López said through an interpreter Friday. “It got me to the point I wanted to be. That’s where I’m at right now.”

Infielder Brandon Drury (shoulder inflammation) took batting practice on the field against the pitching machine, with some more breaking balls than before. Nevin said Drury would repeat that workout Saturday, and then they will evaluate how to get him some at-bats. Nevin also said they are considering using Drury at third base when he comes back, because that could reduce the risk of diving. …

Catcher Logan O’Hoppe (shoulder surgery) is expected to begin taking regular batting practice with overhand pitching Saturday. He has also been receiving pitches from the machine. “I feel like I could play tonight,” O’Hoppe said. O’Hoppe is just past three months into a rehab that was expected to take four to six months. …

The Angels optioned right-hander Gerardo Reyes to create a spot for Giolito on the active roster.

Angels (LHP Reid Detmers, 2-7, 4.38) vs. Blue Jays (RHP Alek Manoah, 2-8, 6.10), 12:07 p.m. Saturday, Rogers Centre, Bally Sports West, 830 AM