Shohei Ohtani Suffers Elbow Injury and Will Not Pitch Again This Season

Los Angeles Angels' two-way star Shohei Ohtani suffered a torn ligament in his right elbow on Wednesday, August 23 in a game against the Cincinnati Reds and will be unable to pitch for the rest of the 2023 season.

Ohtani left the mound abruptly in the second inning of Wednesday's start against the Reds after throwing 26 pitches in the opener of a doubleheader.

"A tough day for him," Angels general manager Perry Minasian was quoted as saying by The Associated Press. "A tough day for all of us."

It is unclear at this time whether Major League Baseball's home run leader and 10-game winner will need surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament for the second time.

The 29-year-old Ohtani had Tommy John surgery in 2018, following his first MLB season when he was named American League Rookie of the Year.

He hit his MLB-leading 44th homer in the first inning and then insisted on batting in the second game even though the injury had been confirmed through an MRI between games.

"We did imaging between games and he does have a tear, and he won't pitch the rest of the year," Minasian told MLB.com.

The Angels GM added, "We're going to get a second opinion and go from there."

Shohei Ohtani Having a Terrific All-Around Season

Ohtani, the 2021 American League MVP, was playing in what is almost certain to be another MVP season. In addition to sitting atop the leaderboard in homers, Ohtani is batting .304 with a 1.069 OPS and 91 RBIs (through August 23).

He is also 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and a major league-best .184 opponent batting average as the Angels' best pitcher.

In the second game of the doubleheader at Angel Stadium, he had one hit in five at-bats as the DH.

The Angels are not sure if Ohtani will continue his chase for the major league home run crown while serving as the team's designated hitter. Right now, his nearest rival is Atlanta Braves infielder Matt Olson, who has 43 homers. 

With a record of 61-67, 12 games back of the league-leading Texas Rangers, the Angels are virtually out of the running for a wild card spot to enter the postseason.

Uncertain Future for Ohtani

The bigger question is what does this mean for Ohtani's long-term future.

Ohtani is headed for free agency this winter and the injury could have a massive impact on contract talks. He was expected to receive the most lucrative contract in baseball history after six seasons with the Angels (with predictions of at least $500 million USD, or ¥73 billion JPY, for a 10-year deal).

Teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and Tampa Bay Rays have all been mentioned as possible destinations for the generational talent.

But the health of his pitching elbow now becomes a huge question mark.

One major league executive, who wished to remain anonymous, summed it up this way on MLB.com:

"My initial reaction was, 'Wow, this basically cuts him in half,' " the National League exec said. "I have no idea how a team could pay him with the thought that he would operate as a pitcher for the long-term [potentially] having TJ twice in a five-year span."

The NL exec went on to say: "He's still a tremendous bat, and maybe he ends up being a bullpen arm too, but his value and his uniqueness take a major hit, obviously, with this news."

Is Ohtani's Workload Too Much?

The most recent injury will lead to some questioning his work load. Did he try to do too much over a grueling 162-game schedule?

Minasian, for one, was confident that Ohtani would be back to his two-way performances. 

"If I was to bet on anybody bouncing back, he would be the guy," Minasian told The Associated Press. "I believe he'll be back and he'll be able to do both again at a very high level."

In the game against Cincinnati, Ohtani had a 2-2 count on Christian Encarnacion-Strand when the Angels training staff came out to check on him. 

Ohtani headed off the mound with what was initially called arm fatigue.

He later told Angels manager Phil Nevin that his pitching arm "just didn't feel right."

Pitchers Who've Had Two Tommy John Surgeries

Numerous pitchers have returned from two Tommy John operations ― Nathan Eovaldi, Jameson Taillon and Mike Clevinger are on that list. Jacob deGrom and Walker Buehler are currently working their way back from No 2, according to MLB.com.

Ohtani underwent his first Tommy John surgery on October 1, 2018.

He returned as a DH in May 2019. Under a similar timeline, a second surgery would likely keep him from hitting for the first month or two of the 2024 season, but he could theoretically play more than half of next season as a DH for whatever club he signs with.

Author: Jim Armstrong

The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.