Shohei Ohtani News: Agent Nez Balelo Confirms Angels Star Will Continue To Pitch and Hit in MLB

The two-way superstar will keep doing just that.

In a season that torpedoed as quickly as it looked optimistic, the Los Angeles Angels had their worst day of an up-and-down season when two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani tore his UCL in late August -- the second such injury of his six-year MLB career. 

At that point, the entire complexion of Ohtani's impending free agency changed, and the question of whether this would lead him to stop pitching was a real possibility. 

Well, Monday has been a great day for the superstar as far as his future is concerned. 

Ohtani's agent Nez Balelo addressed the media earlier today, and beyond providing an encouraging update on his injury, he also discussed the superstar's future when it comes to the ability to both pitch and hit.

And both Balelo and his client seem motivated for Ohtani to continue to perform as the two-way "unicorn" that brought him so much hype when he came to MLB from Japan's NPB in 2018. 

Shohei Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo: “There’s not a question in his mind that he’s gonna come back and he’s gonna continue to do both.”

The question, of course, is when. Balelo said at some point he’ll undergo “some type of procedure,” but they’re still evaluating opinions.

— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) September 4, 2023

Ohtani has more than delivered on the incredibly high expectations that accompanied him to the United States, as he's become one of MLB's most feared hitters and a true No. 1 starter on the mound. 

When he continues to pitch after whatever surgery he ends up undergoing, that will both help him recoup some of the value he may have lost with the injury and he'd keep being the best show in the sport. 

His talent is unprecedented and his production since arriving in the world's best league speaks for itself. As of Monday evening, Ohtani has a MLB-leading 1.066 OPS and he posted a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts before tearing his UCL.

And it looks now as if the impending demise of the one-man show that is Shohei Ohtani may have been greatly exaggerated.