ESPN MLB Insider Says There's Reason to Believe Shohei Ohtani's UCL Tear is "Significant"

ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney told the 'Brady Farkas Show' on Friday that there's reason to believe that the UCL tear for Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani is "significant."

The baseball world was rocked on Thursday by the news that Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani will stop pitching the rest of the season because of a torn UCL.

There's three distinct possibilities, it seems, for Ohtani, who is going for a second opinion.

1) He could need Tommy John surgery for the second time, which would cause him to miss all of 2024 as a pitcher.

2) He could get the newer "internal brace procedure," which is a serious surgery, but has a quicker rehab than Tommy John. Trevor Story of the Red Sox underwent this surgery this spring.

3) He could try to rest it and pitch through it. While that's not effective for everyone, Masahiro Tanaka and David Price both pitched through UCL tears and never needed Tommy John surgery.

What Ohtani ultimately does probably depends on the severity of the tear. Speaking on 'The Brady Farkas Show' on Friday, ESPN MLB Insider Buster Olney said there's reason to believe that the tear is "significant."

"Jeff Passan (of ESPN) made a great point. The Angels made the announcement that he has a torn UCL and that in itself was a clue that this was a significant injury. If this had been a more minor strain, a Grade 1 or Grade 2, the Angels and his representation might have actually worked to keep that under wraps..."

Ohtani hasn't gotten that second opinion yet, but until any decisions are made, he continues to remain in the lineup as a hitter.

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