Attempts by Shohei Ohtani to recover from an oblique injury were finally unsuccessful on Saturday when the Los Angeles Angels announced that he had been placed on the injured list and will be out for the rest of the year.
During a rare session of outdoor batting practice on September 4, Ohtani, who was almost certain to win the American League MVP award for the second time in three years, injured his right oblique. He then missed the following 11 games.
Ohtani is scheduled to undergo surgery as soon as feasible to repair the damaged ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, which terminated his season as a pitcher around the end of August, once he is done playing in 2023, sources told ESPN’s Buster Olney.
Ohtani, a free agent after the season, was seen by two witnesses exiting Angel Stadium on Friday at 4 p.m. PT. His locker had been mostly cleaned out following the game.
Before his team’s game against the Detroit Tigers at 9 p.m. ET, Angels general manager Perry Minasian is scheduled to speak to the media.
Despite the unexpected conclusion to his season, Ohtani, 29, put together another outstanding campaign, slashing.304/.412/.654 and leading the AL in home runs (44), walks (91) and total bases (325) as a hitter. In 132 innings pitched as a pitcher, he had a 3.14 ERA, struck out 167 batters, and walked 55. He also had a record of 10-5.
Ohtani’s 9.0 FanGraphs wins above replacement easily lead the majors despite just pitching and batting for around five out of six months.
Since his last full start on August 9—14 days before learning of his UCL tear—he hasn’t made an official statement. Regardless of the treatment he has done on his elbow, Ohtani will be ready to hit “when the bell rings” at the start of the 2024 season, according to his agent Nez Balelo of CAA, who claimed on September 4 that Ohtani fully expects to be a two-way player again.
