Los Angeles Angels star Shohei Ohtani underwent elbow surgery on Tuesday, and his doctor is confident that he will be eligible to hit on Opening Day next season and return as a pitcher by 2025.
Ohtani tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow on August 23, ending his pitching season. He continued as a hitter until September 3, when he suffered an oblique strain.
Los Angeles Dodgers chief medical officer Neal ElAttrache operated Tuesday at the Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute in Los Angeles. ElAttrache performed Tommy John surgery on Ohtani in October 2018.”This morning, I had a surgical procedure performed on my elbow, and everything went pretty well,” Ohtani said in a post on Instagram. «Thank you very much for everyone’s prayers and kind words. Unfortunately, I couldn’t finish the year on the field, but I will support the boys until the end. “I will work as hard as possible and do my best to return to the diamond stronger than ever.”
“The final decision and type of procedure were made with great emphasis on the big picture,” said Nez Balelo–Ohtani’s agent. “Shohei wanted to make sure that the direction taken allows him to hit and pitch for many more years.”
