General manager Perry Minasian informed reporters, including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger, that Shohei Ohtani has a tear in his pitching elbow’s ulnar collateral ligament. He won’t pitch in 2023. Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports that Ohtani is seeking a second opinion before deciding on surgery.
Today’s doubleheader against the Reds began with Ohtani starting. The team initially reported arm fatigue when he left in the second inning. Minasian told the Halos’ beat that he had imaging between games and discovered the ligament damage. He went 1-5 as the designated hitter in the nightcap.
The injury is unclear. Tommy John repair is usually needed for a full UCL tear. Non-surgical rehab or a less invasive internal brace procedure can fix partial tears. The Angels will likely reveal Ohtani’s treatment options in the coming weeks.
Even without surgery, it’s a major development for the market’s top impending free agent. The two-way star is on track to break the MLB contract record. That may still be true, but teams must now consider his arm health when making offers.
Ohtani’s elbow delayed his MLB superstardom. In 2018, he was diagnosed with a UCL tear after his debut. In October, Tommy John surgery limited him to designated hitter work for the ’19 season. Ohtani only pitched twice in the shortened 2020 season due to command issues. He won his first MVP award in 2021 after pitching at the top of the rotation for a full season.
The three-time All-Star has been an ace pitcher for three seasons. He has a 2.85 ERA in 427 innings since ’21. He finished fourth in Cy Young voting last season with a 2.33 ERA and 166 innings of strikeouts.
Despite being one of the best pitchers in the sport, his performance dropped this year.He had 130 2/3 frames and a 3.17 ERA in 22 starts entering Wednesday. Ohtani fanned 31.4% of batters but was inconsistent, walking 10.3%.
Naturally, that’s only half the story. He can play designated hitter again, as he did after his first UCL injury. He’s the world’s best offensive player this year. Ohtani hits.304/.405/.664 via 556 plates. He has the most homers in the majors (44), leads in slugging, and trails only Ronald Acuña Jr. and Freddie Freeman in on-base percentage.
Ohtani would be a strong AL MVP candidate even as a hitter. His pitching makes that honor certain. He’ll be the top free agent next winter even if surgery is needed. If necessary, Ohtani would be the best open market player with DH only. However, his elbow injury makes him harder to evaluate for clubs. Not only could Ohtani miss part of next season, but teams will have to project how far into his career he can handle a workload unprecedented in modern baseball.
Ohtani’s market value will change in a few months after the injury. The DH will stay in the batting order for now. Even if his offense is unchanged, that’ll be a small consolation for an organization that couldn’t have planned a worse August.
Since trading for top prospects Lucas Giolito and Reynaldo López at the trade deadline, the Halos have gone 9-18. After being sweep by the Reds, they’re a season-worst six games under.500. Before tonight’s news, their playoff hopes were nearly gone due to Ohtani’s inability to pitch and Trout’s return to the injured list. Even for a franchise used to disappointment, these weeks have been brutal.