Shohei Ohtani’s injury: when will he be able to pitch again?
Having undergone an operation to repair his injured elbow, the question now is when he will play again, but when will Ohtani pitch again for the Dodgers?
The Los Angeles Dodgers revealed their $700 million player, Shohei Ohtani, MLB’s best player and a two-way sensation from Japan. Here’s what we know about the status of his repaired elbow.
It’ll take time, but Shohei Ohtani will be back on the mound
You may recall that back in September, Los Angeles Angels two-way sensation Shohei Ohtani underwent successful elbow surgery at the Kerlan & Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles. The operation was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who explained at the time that he expects Ohtani to be fully recovered and ready to hit without restrictions by 2024 Opening Day. Where pitching is concerned, however, he added the 29-year-old will have to wait until 2025 before he can get back on the mound. “Shohei wanted to make sure the direction taken gave him every opportunity to hit and pitch for many years to come,” Ohtani’s agent said. Incidentally, Ohtani also addressed the situation via an Instagram post in which he wrote the following:
“I had a procedure done on my elbow earlier this morning, and everything went very well. Thank you very much for everyone’s prayers and kind words. It was very unfortunate that I couldn’t finish out the year on the field, but I will be rooting on the boys until the end. I will work as hard as I can and do my best to come back on the diamond stronger than ever. Go Halos!!”
What’s next for Shohei Ohtani?
Even though he remains sidelined for pitching until further notice, Ohtani managed in the 135 games he played this past season to batt .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs, 95 RBI, and 20 stolen bases. There were also the 23 games in which he pitched as he posted a 10-5 record with a 3.14 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings. Indeed, the Japanese star fetched the highest salary in MLB history and probably deserves every dollar invested in him, even if you expect only to bat from him.