Manager of the Los Angeles Angels Phil Nevin claimed that Tuesday’s elbow surgery on Shohei Ohtani was a success.
The Angels’ two-way ace is scheduled to pitch again in 2025 and be ready to Һit for them on Opening Day 2026.
Nevin said of his client before Wednesday’s game in Tampa Bay, “He’s in good spirits.” The successful outcome of the surgery is no sеcrеt to him. He is still undergoing the healing process.
Ohtani’s pitching season was cut short on August 23 when he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He batted regularly until the third of September, when he suffered an oblique ιnjury.Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the lead team physician for the Los Angeles Dodgers, performed the surgery on Ohtani at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute. According to his statement, the teams opted to “reinforce the healthy ligament in place,” implying that Tommy John surgery was not used to rebuild the UCL.Ohtani had Tommy John surgery on October 1st, 2018 with ElAttrache.
Ohtani, who is 29 years old, is first in the American League in home runs (44), runs batted in (96), triples (8), and steals (20). In 23 starts, he had a 10-5 record, 3.14 ERA, 167 strikeouts, and 55 walks across 132 innings of work.
After the World Series, Ohtani will be a free agent.
Shohei Ohtani surgery: MLB superstar undergoes elbow procedure, agent lays out timeline for return
Shohei Ohtani, two-way superstar for the Los Angeles Angels, had surgery on his right (throwing) elbow on Tuesday, his agent Nez Balelo revealed in a statement, less than a month after being diagnosed with a ruptured UCL. Dr. Neal ElAttrache of Los Angeles performed the treatment, and he claims that Ohtani will be able to pitch again in 2025 and bat without limits in 2024.
ElAttrache, according to Balelo’s statement, discussed the problem with Shohei and decided to fix it by reinforcing the good ligament already there and adding viable tissue to ensure the elbow would last. The extent of the surgery, including whether or not it was a Tommy John procedure, is unknown.
Ohtani made the following comment on his own social media accounts:
This morning I underwent surgery on my elbow, and it went smoothly. We greatly appreciate all of the kind wishes and prayers.
It’s too bad I couldn’t play out the season, but I’ll be cheering for the team all the way.
To go back on the diamond in top form, I intend to put in as much effort as possible.
Vote Halos!
Ohtani last appeared in a game on September 3. Even though the Angels kept listing him as day-to-day, Ohtani did not play in a game for 11 days before being placed on the 10-day disabled list after injuring his oblique during the following day’s batting practice. Ohtani has participated in pregame work in recent days, but he is not yet ready to return to game action.
Ohtani, who is now 29 years old, finished the season with a batting line of.304/.412/.654 and an American League-best 44 home runs. As a pitcher, he tossed 132 innings while striking out 167 batters for a 3.14 earned run average. There is a strong argument to be made that Ohtani’s three-year stretch from 2021–2023 is the best three-year run in baseball history, since he currently leads all players with 10.0 WаR and is still the AL MVP frontrunner.
Despite having Ohtani and Mike Trout on the same team for the last six years, the Angels failed to make the playoffs or even finish with a winning record during that time. Since being swept by the Kansas City Royals in the American League Division Series in 2014, the Halos have not made the playoffs. Since the 2009 ALCS, they have not won a playoff series.
Now that Ohtani’s season has ended, here is what you need to know about his elbow surgery.
Ohtani is having his second major operation on his elbow.Ohtani’s debut season with the Angels ended on October 1, 2018, when he had Tommy John surgery. Although pitchers like Nathan Eovaldi and Jameson Taillon have had success after returning from a second surgery of a similar sort, the risks associated with this technique may be higher than those of the initial operation.
Ohtani anticipates a 2024 debut.Ohtani’s representative Nez Balelo said earlier this month, “Shohei is going to be in somebody’s lineup next year, DH-ing when the bell rings.” While Bryce Harper is also continuing to Һit throughout his rehab from Tommy John surgery this season, Ohtani did not return to the lineup until approximately a month into the 2019 season after undergoing the procedure in October 2018. At some time next year, Ohtani will be used as a batter. So far, so good. Balelo confirmed those plans in a statement released on Tuesday.
Ohtani can keep hitting during his elbow rehabilitation as a pitcher, as our Matt Snyder recently learned from a doctor.
He has no plans to stop pitching.Ohtani plans to keep pitching, Balelo said, clearing up any cоnfusiоn. The rumors that he would stop playing defense and offense were unfounded. “Shohei is a natural pitcher. Last month, Balelo added, “There is no doubt in his mind that he will return and continue to do both.” One thing is certain: Ohtani will not be on a baseball team in 2024. Surgery has proven it. Ohtani should return to pitching in 2025, though. ElAttrache’s aforementioned remarks suggest Ohtani will continue to throw pitches.
This offseason, Ohtani will be a free agent.Ohtani is about a month away from becoming a free agent, and this operation couldn’t have come at a worse moment. Even if the elbow surgery makes it more difficult for Ohtani to find a contract, he will still make money. He won’t be pitching in 2019, so when can we expect to see him back at the plate? How much faith do teams have in Ohtani regaining his pitching form? In the following weeks and months, we will learn.