Los Angeles Angels pitcher Shohei Ohtani will end his season early to undergo elbow surgery, according to reports.

USA Today’s Bob Nightingale reported on Thursday that Ohtani will decide on the surgery sooner than expected. Ohtani hasn’t publicly stated his position yet, but people familiar with his thinking believe he will have his season ended within the next 10 days and undergo Tommy John surgery (TJS) to reconstruct his UCL (medial collateral ligament).카지노사이트

Ohtani was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his right elbow shortly after leaving the first game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds on March 24. At the time, Ohtani voluntarily left the game in the second inning after complaining of elbow fatigue. An MRI revealed a torn ligament, which general manager Perry Minassian said was “a different area than when he had his first TJS five years ago.”

However, Ohtani remained in the lineup for the second game of the doubleheader and hasn’t taken a day off since. The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal wrote, “It’s reasonable to assume that part of the reason Ohtani has been holding off on TJS until now is because of his impending free agency.

Ohtani will not be able to take the mound next season if he undergoes elbow surgery. AP Yonhap

Manager Phil Nevin goes to the mound to discuss with Ohtani after he complained of elbow fatigue during the second inning of the first game of a doubleheader against Cincinnati on March 24. AP
But the view around Ohtani is that it’s time to make a decision.

‘The Angels begin a seven-game homestand on May 5, and it would make sense for Ohtani to pitch through that stretch and then declare the season over,’ the Nightingale wrote, adding, ‘Getting TJS would eliminate his chances of being on the mound in 2024, but it would ensure that he’s in shape to be a designated hitter.

‘Ohtani, who hasn’t given up on staying with the Angels, is looking for the biggest contract in major league history, but TJS could derail that,’ he said. ‘Teams see him as an elite power hitter now, and it would be a bonus to have him back on the mound in 2025. So the new deal will have incentives and bonus clauses for him to return to pitching, and it will definitely include an opt-out. The Angels are open to re-signing him if the total is under $500 million.

However, with the general consensus still being that Ohtani’s price tag will exceed $500 million, some media outlets are predicting that teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, and Seattle Mariners will make aggressive bids.

The general consensus is that the sooner Ohtani has TJS surgery, the better. According to Bleacher Report, “Ohtani’s market value will not decrease significantly,” and “teams will want him to have the surgery as soon as possible, because a quick surgery is a more definitive solution than a microscopic procedure (rehabilitation) that may speed up his return time but may not fully address the elbow problem.

Taken together, the reports suggest that Ohtani and Angels have already received a second opinion on their elbow condition and are weighing their options. It is believed that Ohtani’s decision to undergo TJS after five years was made after those around him urged him to have the surgery sooner rather than later.