Shohei Ohtani, the Los Angeles Angels star player, underwent elbow surgery on Tuesday morning, according to his agent Nez Balelo. The procedure was done with a focus on the long-term career of Ohtani, who had an exceptional season as both a pitcher and hitter. Ohtani posted a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts over 132 innings this year before a UCL tear forced him to switch exclusively to hitting for the rest of the season.
In a statement shared on his Instagram account, Ohtani expressed gratitude for the support and well wishes he has received. He also expressed disappointment that he was unable to finish out the year on the field but promised to work hard to come back stronger than ever.
Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the surgery, explained that their goal was to repair the issue at hand and reinforce the healthy ligament while adding viable tissue for the longevity of Ohtani’s elbow. Dr. ElAttrache expects Ohtani to have a full recovery and be ready to hit without any restrictions by Opening Day of the 2024 season. Ohtani is expected to resume both hitting and pitching duties by the 2025 season.
Ohtani had been ruled out for the remainder of the season due to a lingering oblique issue. Despite missing significant playing time in the last month, Ohtani remains the top contender for this year’s American League Most Valuable Player Award. It would be his second MVP award in the past three seasons, with Ohtani winning the award in 2021 and finishing as the runner-up in 2022.
The news of Ohtani’s surgery has significant implications for his future. As an impending free agent, he was projected to command a massive contract, potentially surpassing $500 million. However, with his pitching contributions sidelined for the foreseeable future, it is uncertain how his contract negotiations will be affected.
This surgery was Ohtani’s second major procedure on his right elbow. He previously underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2018 season, which resulted in him missing the entire 2019 season. Subsequent arm issues and the shortened 2020 season limited him to only two starts.
Since fully returning to the mound in 2021, Ohtani has been one of the most impressive players in baseball history. He has excelled both as a hitter and pitcher, hitting 124 home runs and recording the fourth-best OPS+ among hitters with over 1,000 plate appearances. On the pitching side, Ohtani struck out 542 batters in 428 1/3 innings, with the second-best ERA+ among starters with at least 400 innings. His contributions as a two-way player have earned him a remarkable 26.3 Wins Above Replacement (WAR) per FanGraphs, making him the leader in this statistic during his three-year peak.
With his pitching contributions on hold until at least the 2025 season, fans will have to wait some time to see Ohtani’s extraordinary talents on both sides of the ball once again. However, his surgery and expected full recovery provide hope that he will continue to be a force in the league in the years to come.