Shohei Ohtani will undergo a Tommy John Surgery at the end of the season. This was officially announced by the Los Angeles Angels on Tuesday.
The operation will be performed next week by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. “I think it was the right decision for Shohei to have an operation – sooner rather than later,” said Manager Mike Scioscia.
Already on September 5, the Angels announced that an MRI had revealed new damage to the collateral ligament of the Japanese right elbow. Already at that time the recommendation of the doctors was an elbow reconstruction. Until now Ohtani had not yet decided on the procedure.
But Ohtani himself wanted to end the season as Designated Hitter and declared to be active as DH also in 2019. “He won’t be able to pitch in 2019, but he’ll be able to beat. And I think he has come to terms with it,” said Scioscia.
“Hit doesn’t affect my elbow,” Ohtani said, “I feel like I’m developing as a hitter. I want to gain as much experience as possible during the games.”
Ohtani beats in his rookie season .280 with 21 home runs and 56 RBI. As a pitcher, he came on a 3.31 ERA with 63 strikeouts over ten starts and is considered one of the top candidates for the Rookie of the Year in the American League.
This article was published without prior review by Major League Baseball.