As Shohei Ohtani aims to break new ground in the major leagues as a slugging ace pitcher, Los Angeles Angels skipper Mike Scioscia said Wednesday he is thrilled to guide the Japanese star in his historic bid.

Ohtani, the only player other than Babe Ruth to hit 10 home runs and win 10 games in an elite pro league in the same season, has agreed to join the Angels starting next season.

In Japan, he became the Nippon Ham Fighters' top designated hitter while also pitching once a week as the team's ace, and will try to replicate that feat in the majors.

"I don't think it's going to be a challenge, I think it will be an opportunity to use some creativity," Scioscia said at the baseball winter meetings a day after word leaked about an injury to the Japanese player's pitching arm.

On Tuesday, Yahoo Sports reported the 23-year-old Ohtani suffered a minor elbow injury this past season, a Grade 1 strain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow.

"Our understanding is there are no restrictions at all going into spring training, and he'll get down there in plenty of time and be ready to go," Scioscia said.

Ohtani has huge adjustments ahead of him, but Scioscia said he is a believer in the youngster's ability.

"There are a lot of different ways that I think Shohei can be used," Scioscia said. "And we certainly want to get him out there as many times as we can to have him pitch because he's a premium talent on the mound, and we're going to try to get him as many looks as we can in the batter's box because he can really hit."

"In regards to having a unique player like Shohei, there are going to be some things that we're going to look at that maybe haven't been done in baseball here in the United States, but (they are) things that he's done in Japan. So, therefore, our comfort level that he's going to be able to come and compete is very high. I don't look at it as an experiment."

"We have a really good idea that Shohei's going to be able to do the things that we're going to ask him to do. Hopefully, it's going to be a very, very successful season for us and lead us to a championship. He's going to be part of that for sure."

But with Ohtani trying to take his power-pitching, power-hitting game from Japan to the more intense competition of the majors, he will have to prepare for a different kind of spring training.

Instead of the intense workouts and frequent off days of a Japanese spring training camp, major league teams practice every day at a more leisurely pace.

Scioscia said Ohtani's camp workload will not be much different from that of his position players, and indicated his pitchers get off days that will allow Ohtani the recovery time he is accustomed to.

Despite his confidence in Ohtani's ability to make the adjustments, and his team's ability to balance the physical demands, Scioscia admitted it remains a historic challenge.

"I think it is a difficult proposition to do two things at a major league level," he said.

"I have to think about the physical demands of what it takes to pitch a ballgame. Historically, you have (designated hitters) that are really, really good hitters and most pitchers aren't going to hit better than your DH, so it probably hasn't come to the surface as much, but we'll see."

Ohtani selected the Angels from 27 major league clubs trying to sign him, so it is no surprise that Scioscia is optimistic about his prospects. And though baseball people still see the right-handed-pitching, left-handed-hitting star as better with the ball in hand, Scioscia is not the only one sold on Ohtani's hitting.

San Diego Padres manager Andy Green, who played briefly with Nippon Ham before Ohtani turned pro, saw the youngster take batting practice in Arizona in February 2016.

"It takes two seconds to see the pop," Green said. "I mean, I don't want to sit here and be effusive in praise of another team's player right now, but I leaned on the cage and saw him hit. I wasn't having conversations with him on the field or anything, but it's a real pop. It's going to play."

"And you would assume there's going to be a learning curve, as there will be with anybody else. I went to Japan. I was attacked differently as a hitter over there than I was here in the States. There are differences. I'm sure it will take him a while to acclimate. It will be up to the Angels how they help him through the process."