After being shut down for the rest of the season as a pitcher and a batter, Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani confirmed Tuesday morning that he had elbow surgery.

Ohtani’s surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, stated on Tuesday that his patient will be ready to Һit on the first day of the 2024 season, but that he probably wouldn’t pitch again until 2025.

Everything with the elbow operation I underwent this morning went smoothly.

According to an Instagram post by Ohtani.

I appreciate the thoughts and prayers from everyone.

On August 23, the Angels found that the ulnar collateral ligament in Ohtani’s throwing elbow had torn, forcing them to end the 29-year-old Japanese pitcher’s career.

He last played for the Angels on September 3, and the team announced on Saturday that he would be out for the rest of the season due to inflammation of his core muscles.

When his current deal ends at the end of the season, he will likely be among the most sought-after free agents available.

I intend to put in as much effort as possible so that I may return to the diamond in top form.

Ohtani wrote in his entry.

As of Tuesday, the three-time All-Star was leading the American League in home runs (44), walking more often than anyone else in the league (130 walks), and hitting for a high average (.304) and triples (eight).

Ohtani went 10-5 as a starting pitcher in 2023, but his team finished 68-83 and didn’t make the playoffs despite his efforts.

In 132 innings of work, he racked up 167 strikeouts and a 3.14 ERA.

“after deliberation with Shohei was to repair the issue at hand and to reinforce the healthy ligament in place while adding viable tissue for the longevity of the elbow,” ElAttrache said in a statement released by Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo.

ElAttrache, a specialist in sports medicine and the club doctor for the Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Dodgers, operated on New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers this month for a torn Achilles tendon.

The final choice and method of treatment were selected with an eye toward the big picture,

Balelo declared.

Shohei was concerned that the path they were taking may limit his ability to Һit and pitch in the future.

It’s very bad I couldn’t play out the season, but you can bet I’ll be there in the stands cheering for the team.

Ohtani declared on Tuesday.

Ohtani has been a member of the Angels organization since his 2018 MLB debut. In 2018, he was named the AL Rookie of the Year, and in 2021, he was named the AL Most Valuable Player.

The news was confirmed by Ohtani’s Instagram, which stated that the operation “went very well.”

Ohtani is a baseball star who in 2018 underwent the renowned Tommy John surgery to reconstruct his ulnar collateral ligament. However, Balelo’s comments did not indicate whether or not Ohtani had this procedure.

After news of Ohtani’s UCL tear last month, many assumed he would need a second Tommy John operation in the near future.

Recently, Los Angeles Dodgers standout Walker Buehler, who underwent a second Tommy John surgery last August, decided against making a return this season because of how challenging it is to recover from.

The treatment ElAttrache describes sounds similar to the internal brace he used on New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers last week after he ruptured his Achilles tendon.

ElAttrache had a major success in the 2021-22 NFL season when Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers returned from a torn Achilles in only 5 and a half months after surgery.

Ohtani, who will be 29 when free agency begins, has been a pitcher for most of his career, but his future as a pitcher is a key question for any team considering giving him what may be the costliest contract in MLB history.

Since his MVP victory in 2021, Ohtani has been the sport’s most valuable and marketable player, but most pitchers would experience a big decline in offers if they entered free agency following a second UCL tear.

Naturally, Ohtani’s hitting ability helps to offset this, and some may view his pitching as a bonus rather than a core element of his value at this point.

Since the medical staffs of both teams will likely have strong opinions on whether or not they should pay Ohtani hundreds of milliоns of dollars, knowing exactly what ElAttrache did to his elbow is crucial.

Ohtani, who will turn 29 at the end of the season, will be a free agent and is anticipated to get a massive contract, possibly for $500 million.

In 2023, Ohtani capped up his third consecutive spectacular season by hitting.304 with 44 home runs and an OPS of 1.066. In 132 innings in 23 starts, he posted a 10-5 record and a 3.14 earned run average (ERA).

Ohtani is a strong favorite to earn his second American League MVP Award in as many years.

After injuring his elbow on August 23, he continued to Һit for another two weeks before another ιnjury, this time to his oblique, forced him to stop.

He tried for two weeks to return to the lineup, but an MRI of his oblique revealed inflammation severe enough to end his season.

Ohtani’s oblique ιnjury, which could meаn the end of his time with the Angels, prompted him to clean out his locker.

Since tearing the UCL, at the end of the 2018 season and into 2019, he had been limited to hitting exclusively.