Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani tore a ligament in his right elbow and will be unable to pitch for the remainder of the 2023 season, general manager Perry Minasian said Wednesday night.
Minasian didn’t say whether Ohtani will need surgery to repair his ulnar collateral ligament for the second time. He had Tommy John surgery in late 2018, following his American League Rookie of the Year season. The latest issue was revealed after the team’s game against the Cincinnati Reds.
“A tough day for him,” Minasian said. “Tough day for all of us.”
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Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels leaves the game against the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning on Aug. 23, 2023, in Anaheim, California. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Minasian said Ohtani planned to get second opinions on whether surgery will be necessary.
“If I was to bet on anybody bouncing back, he would be the guy,” Minasian said. “I believe he’ll be back and he’ll be able to do both again at a very high level.”
Ohtani left the mound in the second inning of his start against the Reds as he threw 26 pitches in the opener of the doubleheader. Ohtani insisted on playing even as he went through tests in between games.
His status is unclear for the rest of the season, Minasian suggested. Los Angeles begins a nine-game road trip on Friday, starting with the New York Mets. He’s set to be one of the prized free agents heading into the 2023-24 offseason.
Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani gets set to pitch against the Cincinnati Reds Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Anaheim, California. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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“I think he needs time to wrap his head around it, talk to the people close to him,” Minasian said. “We’re in the process of getting second opinions. Once the information is there, he’ll make the right decision on what he wants to do, and we’ll support him, whatever he decides…. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s in New York and he’s in the lineup. I know how bad he wants to play.”
Ohtani didn’t speak to reporters after the doubleheader.
Angels manager Phil Nevin said Ohtani told him that his pitching arm “just didn’t feel right.”
Los Angeles Angels starting pitcher Shohei Ohtani throws to the plate in the first game of a doubleheader Wednesday, Aug. 23, 2023, in Anaheim. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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“He told me he didn’t feel any pain,” Nevin said. “It was just more of the same thing he’s been feeling for the last couple of weeks.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
