Amid injury woes for Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani, the presumptive AL MVP was notably absent from the team’s annual photo day.
However, the Angels managed to come up with a creative and somewhat unconventional solution to address the problem.
According to Sam Blum, a reporter for The Athletic, the Angels decided to employ a body double to stand in for Ohtani during the photo shoots. Blum, who was present at the event, suspects that the team will use photo-editing techniques to seamlessly insert the double into the official photos when they are eventually released.
He also noted that the body double was discreetly escorted out of the stadium by the Angels PR team following the event.
“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,” Blum tweeted.
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
Needless to say, the baseball world had a field day with this on social media…
“How much could stand in Ohtani be worth on the open market??” (“More than Rendon”)
More than Rendon 😂
— Mr. Bunch (@darinbunch) September 5, 2023
“What? Is Ohtani not the most important person for photo day? Could they not have scheduled it around him? Especially if he was there and just had to leave early?”
What? Is Ohtani not the most important person for photo day? Could they not have scheduled it around him? Especially if he was there and just had to leave early?
— Anne Campbell (@filmgatereviews) September 5, 2023
“The Angels are SO WEIRD.”
The Angels are SO WEIRD
— Keith (@keithps22) September 5, 2023
What do you think of the Angels interesting (and somewhat sad) tactic?