DETROIT — Shohei Ohtani turned out of the visiting clubhouse at Comerica Park and took several steps before stopping to select his bat out of a huge crate filled with lumber.

The AL Rookie of the Year took a couple swings in the hallway and smiled before batting practice indoors.

Ohtani’s long wait for his season debut was over.

The Los Angeles Angels activated him from the injured list before Tuesday night’s game at Detroit and he was in the lineup batting third as the designated hitter. He was 0 for 4 with a walk and an RBI.

“Baseball is certainly not the type of sport that you focus on one night,” Angels Manager Brad Ausmus said. “We’re looking at using him as a DH for the vast majority of the next 4 1/2 months. I’m not overly concerned about the immediate results, but just the long-term results.”

The 24-year-old Ohtani is not expected to pitch this year as he recovers from Tommy John surgery on Oct. 1, but the Angels projected the two-way star would be able to bat in major league games at some point in May.

“He injects some offense, for sure,” Ausmus said. “He’s got big power.”

Ohtani hit .285 with 22 homers and 61 RBI in 367 plate appearances last year. He became the first player since Babe Ruth with at least 10 homers and four pitching wins in the same season. As a DH, Ohtani became the first player with 15 homers as a batter and 50 strikeouts as a pitcher in the same season.

He was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 51 2/3 innings in 10 starts, limited by a torn right elbow ligament that required surgery.

Ohtani has said he has “no regrets” about last year when he hit for the Angels until season’s end and delaying reconstructive surgery and his ability to pitch again until 2020.

INDIANS: Corey Kluber’s broken right arm isn’t all that’s hurting him.

Less than one week after absorbing the impact of a 102 mph line drive during a start in Miami, Cleveland’s two-time AL Cy Young Award winner said he still is coming to grips with his injury.

“You want to be out there with the team,” Kluber said, speaking for the first time since getting hit. “You want to be contributing. When it’s your day to pitch, you want to be able to take the ball every fifth day.”

That won’t happen for a while, but Kluber remains optimistic he’ll be able to return and pitch this season.

“I don’t have a plan not to pitch again,” he said. “Obviously, I don’t have a definitive timeline because it’s all depending on how things heal. But in my mind, I’m not looking at it as season ending.”

Kluber will undergo weekly X-rays before doctors will know whether his bone has healed properly and he can avoid surgery.

NATIONALS: A day after he failed to come up with a line drive and misplayed a grounder for an error, rookie shortstop Carter Kieboom was demoted to Triple-A Fresno.

Both miscues Kieboom led to Milwaukee runs in the Brewers’ 5-3 win Monday night. Kieboom, a 21-year-old who debuted April 26, was hitting .128 (5 for 39) with two home runs in 11 games. He made four errors.

“We brought him up here out of necessity because we were beat up,” Nationals Manager Dave Martinez said. “He was doing well in Triple-A and we wanted him to get his feet wet and get him an opportunity to come up here and see what it’s all about. He’ll be back.”

Kieboom was optioned to Fresno as part of a flurry of moves. Third baseman Anthony Rendon was activated from the injured list after recovering from a bruised left elbow and was third in the batting order against the Brewers. Left-hander Tony Sipp was placed on the injured list because of a strained oblique muscle and right-hander Erick Fedde was recalled from Double-A Harrisburg.

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