MLB
Shohei Ohtani will not participate in the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby
Ohtani’s only participation in the Home Run Derby, the 2021 edition, was not his most memorable performance.
Shohei Ohtani declared after the Los Angeles Dodgers-Arizona Diamondbacks game that he will not participate in the Home Run Derby as part of the MLB All-Star Game for the 2024 season.
Why is Shohei Ohtani not playing in the 2024 MLB Home Run Derby?
The Japanese superstar is the second player to rule out participating in the game after Aaron Judge of the New York Yankees. “I’m in the middle of my rehab progression, so it looks like I won’t be participating,” Ohtani said through an interpreter.
Ohtani required right elbow surgery in September last year to alleviate an injury. As a result, he has only batted without taking the mound this year after signing the most lucrative contract in the history of the sport.
The two-time American League MVP is dominating in his first season as a Dodgers player. Ohtani leads the Old Circuit in homers (27), runs scored (69), slugging (.646), OPS (1.048) and total bases (212).
Ohtani has only participated once in the Home Run Derby, the 2021 edition. The Japanese player was eliminated in the first round by Juan Soto, then a player of the Washington Nationals. The winner was Pete Alonso of the New York Mets, who beat Trey Mancini in the final.