The Japanese two-way star Shohei Ohtani was in the midst of the most effective 12 months to this point in his Main Leagues profession when he injured his elbow on August 3 throughout a begin in opposition to the Seattle Mariners. He did not pitch once more in the course of the season and he stopped taking part in altogether in September, fearing that he can be needing a second Tommy John surgical procedure.
This damage could not have come at a worse time for Ohtani, as he was in the midst of a contract 12 months and an MVP caliber season. Nevertheless, not all hopes are misplaced as he most certainly can be again on the sphere in a technique or one other for the 2024 season.
Ohtani’s surgical procedure was a hit
The Los Angeles Angels, with whom he nonetheless has a contract till the top of the World Sequence, launched a press release the place they disclosed that Ohtani had a process achieved on the Kerlan & Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles carried out by the famed Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the place they don’t specify if the Japanese had Tommy John.
Nevertheless, ElAttrache stated within the assertion that he expects Ohtani ‘to hit with out restrictions’ by the Opening Day of the 2024 season. He additionally states that the Japanese phenom could be returning to each batting and pitching for the 2025 season if all the things goes properly in his rehab course of.
Will Ohtani win 2023 AL MVP?
Ohtani already misplaced virtually two years of pitching in MLB after he underwent Tommy John surgical procedure in 2018, being unable to pitch for the rest of that season, all of 2019, and virtually all of 2020, being a two-way participant once more for the reason that begin of the 2021 season.
The Japanese had one other MVP-caliber season in 2023, as he had a 10-5 document with a 3.14 ERA and 167 Ks in 132 IP, additionally main the Majors in OPS (1.066) and OPS + (184), hitting 44 house runs to steer the American League and having a ten.0 WAR season, the most effective in MLB.
