WHY SHOHEI OHTANI will bat for the Dodgers but not pitch (Angels picture).
By David Brandt/AP Baseball Writer
PHOENIX (AP)-- Shohei Ohtani is special in Major League Baseball history, a two-way Japanese super star who can excel as a hitter and a pitcher, often in the same game.
However for the 2024 season, Ohtani will be simply a hitter.
That's due to the fact that Ohtani is recuperating from a hurt elbow ligament-- the ulnar collateral ligament-- that typically results in a procedure colloquially known as Tommy John surgery. Ohtani has actually been unclear about the exact procedure he had last September, however the Dodgers do not expect him to pitch up until 2025.
Generally, pitchers who have Tommy John surgery miss at least a complete calendar year. The majority of that time is invested carefully rehabbing the elbow so it can stand up to the unusual torque needed to toss a baseball 90-plus miles per hour.
Hitters-- consisting of
Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper-- likewise occasionally tear their UCLs and require Tommy John surgical treatment, however their recovery is much quicker.
Ohtani, who signed a record $700 million, 10-year deal with the
Los Angeles Dodgers in December, could still have a substantial effect in the batters' box this year.
HOW DID OHTANI GET HURT?.
Ohtani-- who spent his first 6 seasons with the
Los Angeles Angels-- left the pitcher's mound quickly in the second inning of his start against the
Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 23 after throwing 26 pitches. Later on that night, Angels basic supervisor Perry Minasian verified that Ohtani had a hurt elbow ligament and would not pitch once again in 2023.
The two-time Most Valuable Player is no complete stranger to major arm injuries. He had his very first Tommy John surgery in 2018, following his stellar novice season. That kept him from pitching in 2019 and the majority of 2020 before he returned full-time to the mound in 2021.
There have only been a handful of MLB gamers who have actually had Tommy John surgical treatment twice and returned as efficient pitchers.
WHAT CAN OHTANI DO THIS SEASON?.
If his first spring training video game is any indicator, Ohtani's striking won't be hindered by his healing.
Ohtani smacked a two-run homer in his third exhibit at-bat on Tuesday as the team's designated player.
A torn ulnar security ligament is a severe injury for a pitcher or fielder because it impacts tossing a baseball, however it's not rather as problematic for hitters.
Tossing a baseball puts particular tension on the UCL as the arm quickly rotates from being externally rotated to internally rotated. That's not an issue during the baseball swing-- especially for players like Ohtani and Harper, who throw right-handed but bat left-handed. Their injured best arms lead the way when they swing, a less taxing movement for the elbow ligament.
Last season, Harper returned to the lineup as the designated hitter a little bit more than 5 months after Tommy John surgical treatment, using a brace on his right elbow. Ohtani is roughly five months eliminated from the elbow surgical treatment he had in September.
WHY DID THE DODGERS STILL GIVE HIM $700 MILLION?.
The Dodgers-- and all other 29 MLB groups-- understood about Ohtani's elbow injury throughout his complimentary company. That didn't stop
Los Angeles from spending $700 million to add him to the roster.
Among the factors: Ohtani ought to still have the ability to pitch once again beginning in 2025, in theory providing the Dodgers a two-way gamer for 9 of his 10 seasons under contract. Even if he can't always pitch, his bat is amongst the video game's finest. He had a. 304 batting average, 44 home runs, 95 RBIs and 20 stolen bases in 2023, which assisted him land his 2nd MVP award.
He's athletic enough to play very first base or even the outfield if Ohtani eventually has to stop pitching.
Ohtani is also special because he's an international phenomenon-- with legions of fans around the globe, particulary in his native Japan. His marketability rivals a few of the world's biggest sports stars, consisting of soccer standouts Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo, together with NFL quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
All those eyeballs on Ohtani indicate lots of advertising and product dollars for the Dodgers.
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