After undergoing elbow surgery on Tuesday, Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani’s physician predicted the two-way player will be ready to go on Opening Day of the following season and pitch again in 2025.
Ohtani’s pitching season came to an end on August 23 after he tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He batted through September 3rd, at which point he sustained an oblique strain.
Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the head physician of the Dodgers, performed surgery at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles on Tuesday. In a statement, he made it clear that the parties had chosen to “reinforce the healthy ligament in place,” implying that Tommy John surgery was not used to rebuild the UCL. On October 1, 2018, ElAttrache operated on Ohtani using a Tommy John procedure.
Ohtani posted on Instagram, saying, “I had a procedure done on my elbow earlier this morning and everything went very well.” “I sincerely appreciate all of the wonderful thoughts and prayers from everyone. Although I regret not being able to play on the field for the entire year, I will be supporting the boys all the way to the conclusion. I’m going to put in as much effort as I can to return to the diamond in better shape than before.”
In a statement issued by the Angels, Ohtani’s agent Nez Balelo did not provide specifics regarding the nature of the surgery.
“The final decision and type of procedure was made with a heavy emphasis on the big picture,” stated Balelo.
“Shohei wanted to make sure the direction taken gave him every opportunity to hit and pitch for many years to come.”
With 44 home runs, 95 RBIs, 8 triples, and 20 stolen bases, 29-year-old Ohtani leads the American League in hitting. In twenty-three starts, he was 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA, 132 innings pitched, 167 strikeouts, and 55 walks.
ElAttrache stated in the Angels statement, “After discussion with Shohei, the final plan was to address the current problem and reinforce the healthy ligament in place while adding viable tissue for the longevity of the elbow.” “I anticipate that he will fully recuperate and be prepared to play without any limitations on the first day of 2024, performing both [hit and pitch] come 2025.”
Following the World Series, Ohtani will be free to sign with any team. There were rumors that he might sign a record-breaking $500 million contract or more before to the elbow injury.
