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Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani will undergo Tommy John surgery after the season is over, the team announced.
Update on Shohei Ohtani:
— Angels (@Angels) September 25, 2018
Shohei Ohtani will undergo UCL reconstruction surgery during the first week of the off-season. The procedure will be performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. Additional information will be provided when appropriate.
The news comes 20 days after the Angels had recommended surgery to Ohtani following a discovery of new damage to his UCL in his right elbow.
It is a tough thing for Ohtani to have waiting for him at the end of his rookie season after signing with the Halos in the offseason following five seasons of play in Japan. However, Ohtani has captivated everyone in baseball because of what he has been able to do at the plate and on the mound.
Despite the injury, Ohtani has managed to still hit well, as the left-handed hitter currently sports a .280/.361/.564 slash line with 21 home runs and 56 RBI in 347 plate appearances across 99 games. Though he hasn’t pitched since the injury, the 24-year-old righty has shown that he can be a force when he takes the hill. In 10 starts this year, Ohtani has a 3.31 ERA and 1.16 WHIP with 63 strikeouts and 22 walks in 51 2⁄3 innings.
Depending on how Ohtani’s recovery process goes, the Angels will need rotation help in 2019. After all, injury-riddled ace Garrett Richards is a free agent after this season and the only arms the Angels currently have under contract are Andrew Heaney, Tyler Skaggs, Matt Shoemaker and Jaime Barria.