How did Shohei Ohtani get injured? Angels phenom leaves game vs Reds early after electric first inning

After a dominant first inning, striking out two batters and hitting a home run, Shohei Ohtani left the mound with an apparent injury. This has become a troubling trend for the Los Angeles Angels phenom, who has been dealing with fatigue for weeks now. Being pulled from this game against the Reds when he was playing so incredibly is just about the worst possible scenario for Angels fans.

Shohei Ohtani is having one of the best individual seasons in recent MLB memory. He is dominating from the mound and at the plate but has seen more than a few starts end too early.

Talkin' Baseball shared a clip of the last pitch he threw and his ensuing exit on Twitter.

"Shohei Ohtani has left the mound with the trainer and is out of the game" - @TalkinBaseball_

Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register posted on Twitter that this could have been something the Angels expected.

"Before the game I asked Phil Nevin about pitching for this weekend and he said it was undetermined, and Tyler Anderson came in from the bullpen after Ohtani went out. All of that suggests the Angels knew before the game there might be something going on with Ohtani." - @JeffFletcherOCR

The conversation at the mound did not take very long, and the Angels sent Tyler Anderson to replace him rather quickly. This implies that there may have been a pre-existing issue the team was aware of. If that is the case, and he was able to go out and dominate anyway, it makes it all the more impressive.

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If Shohei Ohtani is forced to miss any time, it could be the end of the Los Angeles Angels playoff push

While the Los Angeles Angels have officially announced that Ohtani exited Wednesday's start with arm fatigue, the team and player may need to approach the remainder of the season with caution. If that is the case, it could be the end of the Angels' push for the postseason.

Many experts expected that if the Angels were seemingly out of the playoff race around the trade deadline, the team would consider moving the two-way superstar in a deal. However, the team opted to double down, telling opponents that they would not be trading Shohei Ohtani this summer.

As of Wednesday, the Angels are well outside of the final American League Wild Card spot, and with superstar Mike Trout also dealing with lingering pain from his broken left hand, it may be time to call it a season for the Angels.