Shohei Ohtani Tommy John: MLB Insider Believes Angels' Star Will Announce Surgery Decision Soon
Despite tearing his UCL in August, Shohei Ohtani has continued to be a regular in the Halos' lineup in the weeks following his injury.
Though he's continued to hit for the team after being shut down from the mound, Ohtani could resort to going under the knife with his second Tommy John surgery, an outcome that some expect to happen very soon.
Those familiar with Ohtani’s thinking believe that he could shut it down in the next 10 days and undergo Tommy John surgery to repair his torn UCL.The Angels begin a seven-game homestand on Tuesday, so it would make sense to play through that and then announce that he’s done for the year. He’ll have Tommy John surgery, eliminating the possibility of pitching in 2024, but assuring that he will be healthy enough to be a DH.
It's been a nightmare scenario for Ohtani due to his impending free agency and any injury to his elbow was going to affect his contract value due to his two-way versatility.
Knocking out the pitching aspect to the Japanese superstar's game is a massive hit to his value and any barrier to his two-way proficiency such as a second major reconstructive surgery to his elbow would certainly hurt Ohtani.
No one knows if Ohtani will be forced to pick one side of the ball after surgery should he take that option for his career, which seems all the more likely.
More importantly for Anaheim, no one knows if this will be his final games as a Halo after a disappointing six-year stint that included a Rookie of the Year award, an MVP award with one more surely on the way, but zero playoff games.
The future of the franchise without Ohtani remains bleak and questions about Mike Trout's place on the team will also be brought up should his superstar unicorn teammate depart.
