Shohei Ohtani's vague injury indication leaves fans on the edge of their seats

Anyone who has spent more than five minutes watching baseball knows the name Shohei Ohtani. The first player to hit 100 or more RBIs while garnering at least 100 strikeouts, the Los Angeles Angels superstar is considered to be the top player of his generation.

The current league leader in both home runs and triples, Ohtani's 3.50 ERA in 18 starts is not too shabby either. As if his stardom needed any more help, 55+ million people in Japan alone watched the star strike out Angels teammate Mike Trout to win the World Baseball Classic for his nation in March.

Now, though, Ohtani's name is a constant news item. With his one-year, $30 million deal with the Angels expiring at the end of the season, many expect him to get the biggest contract in history from whatever deep-pocketed team makes a serious play for him.

Although the Los Angeles Dodgers have been outlined as the prime contender to land Ohtani in free agency, he still has 65 games to go in an Angels uniform, and fans are wondering if that figure might be even lower:

"Game note. Shohei Ohtani unexpectedly exits game as pitcher with possible finger blister. Final Line: IP 5.0 6H 1R 1ER 2BB 7K 0HR (79P/48S) Credit: Fox" - Anaheim Sports

On July 14, Shohei Ohtani had an uncharacteristically short outing against the Houston Astros. A divisional foe, the 29-year-old was yanked after only five innings on account of a blister issue.

Although, Angels manager Phil Nevin later told the media that Ohtani is expected to start on the mound for his team's contest against the Pittsburgh Pirates on Friday.

While a manager's words are usually taken at face value, Ohtani has recently offered his own words regarding his minor ailment that has some worrying. Speaking through a translator, Ohtani indicated that he is not sure if he will be okay to start on Friday, saying:

“Haven’t really talked about when my next outing is, just kinda gonna come to the field and see where my finger’s at. Think we’ll go from there."

The Angels will rest today after completing a three-game sweep of the New York Yankees this week. With a 48-49 record so far, the team currently remains in third place in the AL West.

Shohei Ohtani's health is critical now more than ever

While the injury is, in itself, not very significant, there will be a microscope on Shohei Ohtani's health for the foreseeable future.

If any team is going to commit $500 or $700 million to him over a multi-year deal, they will need to have peace of mind when it comes to his health.