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Shohei Ohtani to Undergo Elbow Surgery, Miss 2024 Pitching Season
Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani had elbow surgery on Tuesday. Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the head team physician for the Los Angeles Dodgers, performed the surgery at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles.
Dr. Neal ElAttrache expects that Ohtani, who tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on August 23, will be available as a hitter on Opening Day next season. Ohtani will also return to the mound as a pitcher in 2025.
Ohtani continued to play as a batter until September 3 when he suffered an oblique strain.
The surgery aimed to reinforce the healthy ligament in place, indicating that the UCL wasn’t reconstructed through Tommy John surgery. Dr. Neal ElAttrache had previously performed Tommy John surgery on Ohtani on October 1, 2018.
Shohei Ohtani undergoes elbow surgery, vows to return stronger than ever
“I had a procedure on my elbow earlier this morning, and everything went very well,” said Ohtani in a post on Instagram. “Thank you very much for everyone’s prayers and kind words. It was very unfortunate that I couldn’t finish out the year on the field, but I will be rooting on the boys until the end. I will work as hard as I can and do my best to come back on the diamond stronger than ever.”
Nez Balelo, Ohtani’s agent, issued a statement that the Angels released. Balelo did not go into specifics about the type of surgery.
Ohtani’s elbow surgery: What it means for his future
“Balelo said, ‘The final decision and type of procedure were made with a heavy emphasis on the big picture,'” Balelo said. “‘Shohei wanted to make sure the direction taken gave him every opportunity to hit and pitch for many years to come.'”
The 29-year-old Ohtani leads the American League with 44 homers and has 96 RBIs, 8 triples, and 20 stolen bases. He was 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts, striking out 167 and walking 55 in 132 innings.
“The ultimate plan, after deliberation with Shohei, is to repair the issue at hand and reinforce the healthy ligament in place while adding viable tissue for the longevity of the elbow,” ElAttrache said in the statement released by the Angels. “I expect a full recovery, and he will be ready to hit without any restrictions on opening day of 2024 and will do both hitting and pitching in 2025.”
After the World Series, Ohtani may enter the open market. There was talk that he would get a record contract at $500 million or more before the elbow injury.
My name is Krishanu Das the founder of the Sports Dribble.
I am Accountant by profession but a Sports Blogger by passion.
I am passionate about sharing my all knowledge and experiences of sports, with my readers and every sports enthusiast.
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