Introduction
(Ohtani Injury) Two-way MLB sensation Shohei Ohtani has been making the rounds in sports not only because of his amazing-ness on both sides of the mound and at bat, but simply for existing. Fans around the world have been mesmerised by Ohtani’s dual brilliance on both sides of the ball. While this has certainly sent ripples through the MLB, making many question his abilities and impact moving forward. So, commiserate with the rest of humanity and let us discuss what this has to do with Ohtani or at least his injury) from a news standpoint.
The Injury Breakdown: What Happened?
The narrative around the Ohtani injury took its first grim turn when it turned out that he had a UCL tear on his right elbow, which is one of most common ligaments in pitching injuries. He decided to wipeout his pitching for the next season since UCL tear usually means a long recovery. His availability as only a DH was one thing — not playing any at shortstop, in turn preventing the Angels from using him on their mound.
After playing through a number of various discomforts, Ohtani determined last September he would have surgery to treat his elbow condition. ElAttrache, a prominent orthopedic surgeon known for performing Tommy John surgeries on MLB players in the Ascot Drive facility he shares with Dr. James Andrews, has been described as having performed an “unconventional” type of procedure called less-than-a-typical-Tommy John surgery. The idea was that the approach could lessen some of Ohtani’s overall load and keep him two-way if he had indeed been lost for six or seven weeks.
The Recovery Timeline: What’s Next for Ohtani?
A typical recovery time for a UCL surgery can be in the range of 12-18 months, depending on the procedure and athlete’s health/rehab effort. The revised surgery Ohtani underwent takes some of the burden off, and there’s optimism he can DH from 2024 on (with a fragment removed). The pitching may not resume until the year 2025 giving Odyssey enough to really heal and stabilize.
That group was consistently optimistic that he would again play both roles; in due time. But while the MLB world waits for him to go through rehab and hopefully return at full strength, he has a whole team behind his recovery.
Impact on Ohtani’s Career and Free Agency
The injury has prompted considerable hand-wringing over Ohtani’s future and his impending free agency. Although injured, Ohtani is expected to receive one of the highest contracts in baseball history when he becomes a free agent.
That would leave potential suitors wondering: if they sign Ohtani, how long it will be before he is at his best again as a hitter and pitcher. However, now some MLB teams are beginning to eye him as a hitter who can pitch in the future. While the injury places a slight damper on his overall market value, Ohtani’s exceptional talent and track record haven’t dulled interest from many teams, analysts say.
Teams considering Ohtani also pondering financial, strategic challenges of fitting in two-way players coming back from surgery His injury history will have teams treading a bit lightly, but there is still no other player on the market who has his combination of pitching and hitting.
Ohtani’s Injury in Perspective: Similar Cases in MLB History
This is not Ohtani’s first legal battle either; he has also had Tommy John surgery in 2018. In this instance, the team along with its medical staff has been very meticulous so as to keep him out of long-term surgical recovery.
Many major league stars have suffered and rebounded from injuries that could’ve sidelined them indefinitely. Jacob deGrom, another of the best pitchers around today, has had Tommy John surgery twice and his recoveries were in both cases arduous but he was still able to come back firing. The fact that Ohtani’s surgery is modified suggests an attempt to save his rare combination of elite dual talents by methods previously unconsidered in routine treatments.
There have been plenty of players in baseball history who returned from injuries to reclaim top form, and fans can only hope that Ohtani will be the latest example.
Fan and Team Reactions to Ohtani’s Absence
The Angels and their fan base along with MLB fans across the world have all backed Ohtani, desperate for reports on his recovery. The Angels organization is desperate for his set of skills and popularity as the team has not been to a World Series during Trout’s time in Anaheim. The void created by Ohtani not being able to toe the rubber has proven impossible for anyone else in an Angels uniform, as his dual-threat talent and rarity will go unappreciated until he is back at 100 percent.
Support and concern for Ohtani have been amplified on social media, from fans who are closely monitoring the latest update on his health and potential return through widespread coverage in various types of media. His injury also rekindled discussions regarding the challenges of two-way players, and whether or not MLB should continue to increase leeway (or lack thereof) for these unicorns.
What Experts Are Saying About Ohtani’s Future
Ohtani’s potential has been broken down by sports medicine specialists as well as MLB analysts. Top sports surgeon Dr. James Andrews said that pitchers returning too quickly from UCL injuries can risk long-term damage of the joint if they do not undergo a methodical rehabilitation process as per USA Today.
Baseball analyst Ken Rosenthal reported Ohtani, who is currently on the brink of what could be free agency after a potential early opt out clause in his deal for 2024, expressed that while there may be issues with how much he gets paid due to the injury headed into next offseason, no one offers such a unique skill set and appears too good not to offer something. Ohtani’s decision to undergo surgery rather than attempt to play through the injury has been praised from all corners as a sign that he wants his time in Major League Baseball — and more importantly, his career overall — to be something bigger than just one big show for fans.
MLB player turned analyst Alex Rodriguez applauded the decision by Ohtani and noted that health in the longer term is important over anything else, per WFAN: “Ohtani is so intelligent,” Rodriguez mentioned during an interview. “His talent is endless and by conceding some time to restore, he will be ensuring that the same high standard of his game can continue,” Bindra added.
Final Thoughts: The Road to Recovery
The injury to Shohei Ohtani has surely loomed large over his otherwise brilliant MLB career—as a harbinger of the powers that be he faces—but it also offers another reminder about elite athletes, more specifically ones like Ohtani who so ably walk both sides. As the baseball world anxiously awaits his return, he knows that just as much as him being healthy can be good for a limitless amount of reasons (this year and beyond), there are likely thousands upon thousands hoping to see if maybe it will finally come together in 2019.
Like with any pitcher, the nature of his injury means there is no guarantee he resumes top form immediately whenever Ohtani gets back on a mound as soon as 2019 — and like Trout’s impending watch test for MVP relevance next year, after all that time off to heal. His voyage could sway other players to take a similar route and maybe MLB might think about changing its methods of handling player health & longevity.
As Ohtani makes his way back to the mound, baseball fans across the globe hold their breath as they hope to see him again on both sides in future seasons.
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