On August 23, 2023, while making a start against the Cincinnati Reds, Shohei Ohtani tore the UCL in his right elbow. He was in the middle of yet another incredible season with the Los Angeles Angels.
Ohtani decided to have surgery on his elbow, which will prevent him from pitching in 2024, but he should be back on a Major League mound the following season.
The Los Angeles Dodgers signed Ohtani to a record-breaking 10-year, $700 million contract despite the operation. Additionally, this season the two-way star will still be able to perform his duties as a designated hitter.
Dodgers general manager Brandon Gomes reaffirmed the team’s belief in Ohtani’s ability to bounce back as a pitcher during an appearance on the podcast “The Show”:
We are really confident in the man and his self-care after observing and conversing with him about his mentality, approach to recovery, and level of attention to detail in all he does. All of those factors influence the course of your rehabilitation, which has a significant impact on your effectiveness upon your return.
“Shohei is a physical specimen who takes great delight in his rehabilitation process and approaches every step of it with deliberateness. We are therefore quite pleased with his improvement. According to the individual, Dr. ElAttrache and our medical team have reports that Shohei will return and make a strong pitch.
The Dodgers are willing to take a chance on Ohtani recovering from his injury, but they also believe that his talent and work ethic will prevail. Ohtani is 29 years old.
Ohtani has a 38-19 record with a 3.01 ERA, 3.30 FIP, 1.08 WHIP, and 11.4 strikeouts per nine across 481.2 innings pitched (86 starts) in parts of five MLB seasons.
In addition to Tyler Glasnow, Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Walker Buehler—who is scheduled to become a free agent after the season—and Bobby Miller, if Ohtani is healthy again, the Dodgers will have another ace in their rotation.
Has Shohei Ohtani undergone any further Tommy John surgery?
Ohtani disclosed at his Dodgers press conference that his most recent elbow surgery, performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, is not comparable to a conventional Tommy John treatment.
Through interpreter Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani stated, “Obviously, I saw the doctors first and we had to go through a lot of steps to decide what type of surgery I was going to get.”
We were unsure about our course of action when the announcement was made. For this reason, in my own words, I never stated what kind of treatment it would be.