Fans of baseball and the Los Angeles Angels, at least temporarily, received some good news regarding star player Shohei Ohtani.
Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, told reporters on Monday that despite the ailment, Ohtani intends to continue playing both offense and defense. This was the first time since it was discovered that Ohtani had ruptured the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, which is the second time he has experienced the problem.
According to ESPN, Balelo said of Ohtani’s future pitching and hitting, “There’s no doubt in his mind that he’s going to come back and he’s going to continue to do both.”
On August 23, in the middle of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds, the tear was made known to the public. Ohtani is destined to become one of the most sought-after free agents in baseball history, in large part due to his great worth as both a premium slugger and a star pitcher. The injury poses a seismic upheaval for Ohtani’s future.
Balelo stated that Ohtani will have “some type of procedure” to treat the condition and that at the very least, he will be able to hit at the start of the upcoming season. Ohtani has previously had the typical procedure for these injuries, the Tommy John surgery, which would sideline him from the mound for the whole 2024 season.
Ohtani’s treatment strategy was not further described by Balelo on Monday, and he also chose not to say whether Ohtani would be a candidate for a less invasive procedure.
Balelo described the most recent UCL tear as “totally different” before adding that the graft from the Tommy John surgery in October 2018 is “all together, everything intact, no concerns. It all appears to be in order.
In addition, Balelo claimed that medical professionals advised him the ligament tear was “the best-case scenario for the situation we’re in.”
According to Balelo, Ohtani’s UCL tear won’t be affected by continuing to hit as a designated hitter, which has allowed him to remain in the Los Angeles lineup.
“He can lift, run, slide, and take violent swings,” Balelo remarked. “He is currently free to do anything he wants. It has no impact on the issue at hand. We’re all right. Whatever we choose to accomplish, it must be done with next year in mind. He’ll be OK when the bell rings in ’24, based on how the timeline is going to unfold.
Ohtani has been having one of the most successful seasons in Major League Baseball history, batting.304 with 44 home runs, which is tied for the league lead, 95 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases. Ohtani had a record of 10-5, a 3.14 ERA, and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings pitched before being forced to stop pitching after the UCL tear was discovered.
Shohei will be okay, according to Balelo. “Will he continue to pitch this year? No. That is already known. Will he enroll for the next year? We don’t yet know. So please be patient with me. But one thing is for certain: whoever’s lineup Shohei will be in next year, DHing when the bell sounds, regardless of the timeline we’re working with or when we finish this. We are aware of that. We won’t pressure you to do that. He will be in good condition.
