Ohtani undergoes elbow surgery

Shohei Ohtani of the Anaheim Angels underwent elbow surgery, per a statement released by his agent yesterday.

Notably, the statement did not specify what sort of elbow surgery it was. It was announced several weeks ago that Ohtani had a tear to his UCL, and would not be pitching anymore this season, though he would continue to hit. However, Ohtani has not played since September 3 due to an oblique strain, and is now done for the year.

The statement from Ohtani’s agent indicated that it was expected Ohtani would be fully ready to hit for the 2024 season, and would be ready to resume pitching for the 2025 season. Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery previously, in September, 2018. The wording of the statement released yesterday seemed to hint that this procedure was internal brace surgery, rather than Tommy John surgery, though either would seem to be a possibility.

Ohtani, 29, is poised to enter free agency as one of the most historic and coveted players to ever hit the market, though the surgery and limitations on his ability to pitch for 2024 does put something of a damper on things. Ohtani has a 6.0 bWAR as a hitter this year and a 4.0 bWAR as a pitcher, and currently leads the league in homers, walks, OBP and slugging.