Shohei Ohtani, a standout pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, is still online to take home the American League Most Valuable Player Award for the second time; the last time was in 2021. But after being sidelined lately, his season was over when it was revealed he underwent another surgery on his right elbow.

There was some concern regarding the cramping in his fingers when he was removed from his start on August 3 against the Seattle Mariners. Ohtani reportedly rebuffed the team’s suggestion that imaging be performed on his arm, and his camp continued to have faith in his output.

But as the past month went on, Ohtani started to experience arm pain, which made surgery unavoidable. His management offered an assessment of his state of health following the treatment on Tuesday.

In a statement made public on Tuesday by agent Nez Balelo, the surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, stated that the goal of the surgery was to “repair the issue at hand and to reinforce the healthy ligament in place while adding viable tissue for the longevity of the elbow.”

Ohtani’s outlook is generally positive as the crucial free agency period approaches, but the type of the procedure raises the possibility that he underwent a second Tommy John procedure, according to Jeff Fletcher of the O.C. Register:

“If it was just a repair, the typical timeline would be six to eight months for a pitcher, and that would be during the 2024 season,” said Dr. Joshua Dines, a sports medicine specialist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. It speaks more to a full Tommy John reconstruction using a graft from somewhere to produce a new ligament, even if you’re mending whatever native ligament he had, that they’re saying the 2025 season is sort of a 16- or 18-month recovery.

After the 2018 campaign, Ohtani underwent ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) surgery to fix a tear in the same elbow. He had to miss the entire year of 2019, and the shortened season, along with other arm problems, restricted his effectiveness on the mound in 2020.

Ohtani would join a rising number of pitchers who have required a second reconstruction of their pitching arm if he had a second Tommy John.

Shohei Ohtani won’t make his debut until the 2025 season.
The availability of Ohtani as a pitcher won’t actually be relevant until the 2025 campaign. His recovery period after this level of surgery requires special consideration.

Given that Ohtani is not only a gifted player but also a desirable investment for whichever team secures him to a record-breaking contract, the gloves can be taken off in due course. The Angels are expected to be involved, but their front office’s only option is to participate in the auction in the hopes of getting another chance to sign the prospect.