Shohei Ohtani pitching for the Angels in 2023. Photo by Ronald Martinez via Getty Images
In an unfortunate turn of events, MLB superstar Shohei Ohtani has been diagnosed with a torn UCL. He will not pitch again this season.
The two-way All-Star and 2023 AL MVP frontrunner was pulled from the game yesterday, August 23rd, versus the Reds. While the initial reason was arm fatigue, it was revealed after the game that Ohtani had torn his UCL. Long story short: he will not pitch again for the rest of the 2023 season.
“We did imaging between games, he does have a tear, and he won’t pitch the rest of the year,” Angels GM Perry Minasian said. “We’re going to get a second opinion, go from there, but it’s basically day-to-day. Obviously, he hit. But that’s where we’re at.”
Eye-Popping Stats
Ohtani has been a workhorse this season, putting up MVP-caliber hitting stats and extremely impressive pitching stats. As a pitcher, he was (and is currently) third in ERA at 3.14, posting a 10-5 record with 167 strikeouts. As a hitter, he currently sports a .304 average with 44 home runs and a .921 OPS. Overall, Ohtani has posted a WAR of 9.6 in 2023.
While it is unclear if he will hit again this season, it is confirmed that he will not pitch again. Even worse for the superstar is the fact that he is an upcoming free agent. Originally projected to land a contract somewhere in the $500 million range, that number could be in jeopardy. UCL tears typically require Tommy John surgery, which, if he needs it, will sideline him for all of next season and impact his potential contract.
The Angels and owner Arte Moreno stood firm on holding on to Ohtani this past trade deadline. The idea was that the Angels, with prime Ohtani and some reinforcements, would compete for a Wild Card spot in 2023. However, with this injury, and Mike Trout’s recent injury—he also left yesterday’s game just one day after returning from the IL—that idea is all but dead.
With these injuries, a dark cloud looms over not only the Angels but baseball itself.
