Shohei Ohtani News: Angels Share Update, Surgery Imminent

Hopefully, he can make a full recovery after the procedure...

After Angels two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani suffered his UCL tear a few weeks ago, it became common knowledge that he would need some type of surgery to repair it. It remains to be seen if he will get another Tommy John Surgery or a different procedure, but his season is officially over.

The latest update from the Halos on Saturday confirmed he has been shut down for the final few weeks of the baseball season, and he will have the surgery very soon. Many thought he should have done this right when the injury happened, especially considering where the Angels are in the standings. But he is a competitor and wanted to keep playing as long as he could.

Ohtani will be focused on getting a procedure to address his UCL tear, Minasian said. He did not reveal specifics of what kind of procedure or when, saying he did not know the specifics.

— Sarah Valenzuela (@Sarah_IsabelVee) September 16, 2023

Ohtani will be a free agent this coming winter, and he is widely expected to leave the Angels for a different organization. The team hasn’t shown him that they have the ability to win consistently, and he is planning on prioritizing winning over everything when picking his new team if he does leave.

Ohtani will be back with the team for the remaining home games, Minasian said.

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The hope is that he can recover, and then be a designated hitter for whatever team he plays for next season. He isn’t going to pitch in 2024, but if things go well, he should return to the mound in the following season.

His recovery will be closely watched and will certainly be a topic for discussion within any free agent meetings that he takes. The free agency will be one of the biggest in the history of American sports and will be on a similar level as when NBA star LeBron James went to Miami years ago.

It’s going to be a very intriguing offseason for Ohtani and the Angels alike. The organization has a lot to answer for, and they will need to figure out what direction they want to head into if Ohtani does leave.

Angels GM Perry Minassian talks about Shohei Ohtani's season-ending trip to the IL & why he cleaned out his locker last night#Angels #Ohtani pic.twitter.com/z7BfDONhGf

— Sports Central LA (@SportsCentralLA) September 16, 2023