Aw Fuck, Shohei Ohtani Needs Tommy John Surgery

As a hitter, Shohei Ohtani has seemed pretty dang healthy since returning to the Angels lineup from a UCL sprain in his throwing elbow in July. As a pitcher, however, he was kept off the mound for nearly three months while undergoing a non-surgical rehab program. When he returned last weekend, he only got seven outs before leaving the game.

Despite that, the Angels were optimistic that Ohtani would continue to start through September, even though they’re out of the playoff race. Manager Mike Scioscia said after the aborted start that Ohtani’s right elbow “feels great.” But according to an update from the team today, it’s actually about as bad as it can be.

UCL reconstruction surgery is better known as Tommy John, and traditionally, it means an entire season lost to rehab. This sucks!