Surgery likely for Ohtani, but he may avoid Tommy John

ANAHEIM -- Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani is still weighing his options after receiving multiple opinions on the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, but his agent, Nez Balelo, said on Monday that Ohtani is in a good place mentally and received positive feedback from several doctors.

Ohtani, who tore the UCL while pitching against the Reds on Aug. 23, won’t pitch again this season and was originally in the lineup as DH on Monday before being scratched with right oblique tightness. Ohtani took batting practice on the field before the game and appeared to wince in pain after his final swing. Manager Phil Nevin said after the 6-3 loss to the Orioles that Ohtani will undergo further testing on Tuesday morning and the Angels don’t know the severity of his injury yet.

Before it was announced that Ohtani was scratched, Balelo told reporters that elbow surgery is the most likely outcome for Ohtani, but it might not necessarily be a second Tommy John surgery. Ohtani, who is set to be a free agent after the season, had the operation in 2018 and didn’t pitch in ’19, but this tear is in a different place than his previous UCL injury.

“His spirits are high,” Balelo said. “He's in a good place. We all feel extremely positive based on information that we're getting that he's going to be fine. But the outpouring of love and well wishes, all of that has just been overwhelming, and Shohei really deeply appreciates it.”

Ohtani, the heavy favorite to win the AL MVP Award for the second time in three seasons, was expected to continue serving as DH until deciding on his treatment plan for the elbow, but this oblique injury could change that. Ohtani is tied for the Major League lead with 44 home runs.

? Ohtani steals his way to more Angels history

Balelo explained that when Ohtani sustained his UCL tear in 2018, the tear was at the top of his UCL. But this time, it’s at the base of his UCL and there’s no damage to the repaired UCL from the initial surgery. Balelo, though, wouldn’t get into specifics about the options for Ohtani surgery-wise. There is an operation with a shorter recovery time that involves using an internal elbow brace, but it’s unclear whether that’s on the table.

“Multiple doctors looked at this and said this is the best-case scenario for the situation we're in,” Balelo said. “The ligament itself and the graft that was put in with the ligament in 2018 is still intact, no problems. And that’s a real positive to take away from this.”

Balelo added that Ohtani will be ready to serve as DH to start the 2024 season, even if he gets an operation on the elbow. Ohtani had surgery on Oct. 1, 2018, and didn’t make his season debut in ‘19 until May 7, but Balelo said this time is different because of where the tear is in his elbow. But there is a chance Ohtani has the surgery before the end of the season to make sure he’s ready for the start of next season as a hitter.

“No matter what timetable we're dealing with and when we get this done, Shohei is going to be in somebody's lineup next year DHing when the bell rings,” Balelo said. “We know that. We're not going to push that, and he’s going to be good to go.”

Balelo also stressed that Ohtani’s relationship with the Angels remains strong and that the injury hasn’t had any impact on that. He believes the Angels have had Ohtani’s best interests in mind and that Ohtani didn’t have any issues with the elbow this season until he tore the UCL while pitching against Cincinnati. He confirmed that Ohtani declined to have images taken on his pitching arm after leaving his start against the Mariners after four innings with cramping in his right middle finger on Aug. 3.

“There wasn't any issues with the elbow, no issues with the shoulder, no problems. He was good to go,” Balelo said. “The fatigue thing really was, I think, blown out of proportion. People were just assuming that he was breaking down and there should have been signs for people to notice, but that wasn’t the case at all.”

Balelo declined to talk about Ohtani’s upcoming free agency and whether the injury will have any impact on Ohtani’s desire to sign a long-term deal or remain with the Angels. But he did say that Ohtani fully intends to be a two-way player going forward, no matter where he ends up.

“Longevity is important, because he loves to pitch,” Balelo said. “There's not a question in his mind that he's going to come back and he's going to continue to do both like we have the last few years.”