Major League Baseball plans to investigate whether a rival team official leaked the private medical information of new Angels two-way player Shohei Ohtani, a source confirmed.

ESPN first reported MLB’s intentions.

On Tuesday, Yahoo Sports published excerpts of a recent physical examination Ohtani underwent in Japan that revealed a first-degree sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow of his prized right arm. Such sprains, or small tears, are quite common among professional pitchers, but the report caused consternation.

All interested teams received a copy of Ohtani’s physical, the contents of which were intended to be kept confidential. Any leak from a league official could violate federal laws that govern the disclosure of medical information.


The Angels are not believed to have leaked the results. Neither are Ohtani’s representatives at Creative Artists Agency.

The Angels signed the 23-year-old star pitcher and hitter last week after a whirlwind courtship. Roughly two dozen teams submitted answers to a questionnaire he devised for interested suitors. He narrowed down his finalists to seven teams after a few days, and picked the Angels two weeks before his deadline to decide.

Ohtani underwent two MRI examinations as part of his pre-signing physical with the Angels, and the team has said it is satisfied with the results.

Short hops


In Thursday’s Rule 5 draft that concluded the annual winter meetings, the Angels selected right-hander Luke Bard from the Minnesota Twins. The Twins had taken Bard, the brother of former big leaguer Daniel Bard, in the first round of the 2012 draft. The 27-year-old must remain on the Angels’ active roster or disabled list throughout the 2017 season or be offered back to Minnesota .… In the minor-league portion of the draft, the Angels selected infielder Riley Unroe from Tampa Bay and right-hander Matt Ball from Texas. They lost right-hander Damien Magnifico to Pittsburgh. Magnifico appeared in one game as an Angel in 2017.

pedro.moura@latimes.com

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