Shohei Ohtani, whose rehab from Tommy John surgery was interrupted in September by knee surgery, has been cleared to throw from a mound, Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Tuesday.

Ohtani is expected to throw from the mound for three to four weeks before concluding his rehab, which will allow him about a month and a half of rest before the start of spring training.

The Angels are hoping to have Ohtani resume his role as a two-way player in 2020, most likely pitching one day a week and serving as the designated hitter three or four days a week.

Ohtani spent the 2019 season as a hitter only because of the rehab from Tommy John surgery, which was performed Oct. 1, 2018. In September, with the Angels out of the race, the club and Ohtani opted to shut him down for surgery to repair a bipartite patella in his left knee. The congenital condition, in which the knee cap is split into two bones, had been bothering Ohtani since spring training, although not enough to warrant surgery until nearly the end of the season.