Shohei Ohtani (29, LA Angels), who was unable to complete the season due to injury, underwent elbow surgery.
MLB.com, the official Major League Baseball website, reported on the 20th (Korean time), “Agent Nez Valero announced that Ohtani underwent elbow surgery this morning.”
Ohtani appeared as a starting pitcher in 23 games안전놀이터 this season and played as a top ace in the league, recording 10 wins, 5 losses, an ERA of 3.14, and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings. He was forced out after 1⅓ innings in the first game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds on August 24 due to arm pain, and as a result of an examination, damage to his elbow ligaments was discovered, so he was out for the season as a pitcher.
Ohtani spent the rest of his season focusing on batting and attempted to finish, but this time a side injury held him back. He missed 11 consecutive games, with his last appearance against the Oakland Athletics on the 4th, and eventually Ohtani decided to end the season early and undergo elbow surgery. Ohtani finished this season with a batting average of 0.304, 44 home runs, 95 RBIs, 20 steals, and an OPS of 1.066 in 135 games as a hitter.
Ohtani said on his SNS, “I had elbow surgery early this morning, and everything went very well. I am very disappointed that I cannot finish the season on the field, but I will support the players until the end. I hope I can return to the diamond (ground) with a stronger appearance.” “I will do my best to make it happen,” he said.
Dr. Neil Elatrace, who performed Ohtani’s elbow surgery, said, “The plan we came up with after consulting with Ohtani was to address the current (elbow) problem and strengthen the ligaments in a healthy way while also prolonging the life of the elbow.” did. He continued, “We expect Ohtani to make a full recovery. We expect him to be able to hit without any restrictions on Opening Day in 2024, and to both hit and pitch in 2025.”
This is not Otani’s first elbow surgery. Ohtani, who underwent Tommy John surgery at the end of the 2018 season, had the experience of temporarily putting aside pitching in 2019 and focusing only on batting. He is expected to follow a similar process this time as well.
Due to this surgery, Ohtani’s value ahead of free agency is expected to change. At the beginning of this season, it was predicted that Ohtani’s value would range from $500 million (about 664.7 billion won) to as much as $600 million (about 797.7 billion won). Some experts say that there will not be much change in Ohtani’s price in the mid- to long-term, considering his skills and star potential, but the fact that he will have to rest for an entire season as a pitcher and that this is his second surgery is raising concerns.