Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani had surgery in order to address the UCL tear in his right elbow. The news was announced by Ohtani’s agent Nez Balelo.

Ohtani suffered the UCL tear in late August and was later ruled out as a pitcher for the remainder of the campaign. The 29-year-old player intended to postpone any procedure in order to finish the season as a hitter, but an oblique strain ended up putting an end to his campaign on the plate as well. This likely prompted Ohtani to have the surgery on his elbow sooner rather than later.

 According to Balelo, Ohtani has every intention to return in time to play on the Opening Day of the 2024 MLB season as a designated hitter. He also plans to continue being a two-way player, eyeing a return to the mound in 2025.

It isn’t clear whether Ohtani will make his return to baseball with the Los Angeles Angels. He will become a free agent in the 2023 season and is expected to attract record-breaking offers from other teams.

Ohtani later confirmed the procedure himself via post on social media.

“I had a procedure done on my elbow earlier this morning, and everything went very well. Thank you very much for everyone’s prayers and kind words,” Ohtani wrote on Instagram. “It was very unfortunate that I couldn’t finish out the year on the field, but I will be rooting on the boys until the end.”

Before being shut for the season, Ohtani batted .304 with 44 home runs and 96 RBI. He had a 10-5 record as a pitcher with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts.

The post Shohei Ohtani Undergoes Elbow Surgery, Plans to Return as a Hitter in 2024 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Shohei Ohtani’s return as a pitcher for the LA Angels will be short-lived. The team confirmed on Monday that Ohtani is dealing with forearms/elbow strain and won’t throw at least 4-6 weeks.

Given the Angels’ timeline and MLB’s short season in 2020, Ohtani is probably done with pitching this year. However, thanks to his dual ability, the 26-year-old Japanese will still be able to contribute as the designated hitter.

Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2018 and only returned to the mound at the beginning of this season. However, his comeback was far from spectacular as he didn’t even go through the first inning in his first start in 2020. He lasted up to second innings in the start against Houston Astros and had to undergo an MRI after the match due to discomfort in his pitching arm.

At the bats, Ohtani is .148 in six games this season while hitting two home runs and seven RBIs.

Shohei Ohtani could pitch again this season in theory, but it is highly unlikely that the Angels will take that road. The organization has been patient with Ohtani so far, and they are expected to take a cautious approach in order to have him ready for 2021. Reportedly, the Angels also remain committed to Ohtani as a dual-threat and are not considering making him exclusively a hitter.

Since coming to MLB in 2018, Ohtani has been hitting .281 with 42 home runs and 130 RBIs. In his rookie season, he also pitched in 10 games, having 4-2 record with 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts.

The post Angels’ Shohei Ohtani Probably Done with Pitching in 2020 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Angels intend to use Shohei Ohtani’s talents in full this season. According to Angels general manager Billy Eppler, Ohtani will return to being a two-way player for the team in 2020.

Ohtani excels as both pitcher and designated hitter, but Angels had to limit him to just hitting last season after he underwent a Tommy John surgery. But due to coronavirus pandemic delay, the 25-year-old had enough time to recover and is now ready to fill both roles once again.

“We’ll probably have a little bit more of a governor on him, at least at the outset,” Eppler told the media during a press conference on Tuesday. “He’s had a number of live [throwing sessions against hitters], but we want to up that intensity a little bit more and put him into a game situation.”

“We’re expecting him to be on the mound and stay on the mound and roll through spring training,” he added.

Angels’ manager Joe Maddon also confirmed that he expects to see Ohtani in the two-way role once the season kicks off. According to Maddon, the Japanese star should start as a pitcher one game a week, while hitting in three to four games between each pitching performance. 

Since joining Angels in 2018, Shohei Ohtani pitched 10 games, posting 4-2 record with 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts. As a hitter, Ohtani has .286 batting average with 40 home runs and 123 RBIs.

The post Shohei Ohtani Will Return to Being 2-Way Player for Angels in 2020 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Los Angeles Angels’ star Shohei Ohtani is done with playing baseball in 2019. Angels announced on Thursday that Ohtani has a knee injury which will rule him out for the rest of the season. 

According to the team’s press release, Ohtani will undergo a surgery to “address a bipartite patella” in his left knee. Angels expect him to make a full recovery in eight to 12 weeks, meaning he will be ready for spring training next year.

Ohtani had health issues last year as well, having to undergo Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow. This stopped him from pitching or playing in the field in 2019, and he ended up playing as a designated hitter exclusively.  In 106 games he played, he had a batting average of .286 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs.

Besides Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels also lost reliever Cam Bedrosian for the remainder of the season. Bedrosian suffered a strained forearm on Wednesday. The duo could also be joined on the sidelines by outfielder Justin Upton, who is having knee issues and is listed as uncertain.

The post Angels’ Star Shohei Ohtani Set For Knee Surgery, Will Be Out for 8-12 Weeks appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani is ready to become a dual threat once again. Angels confirmed on Friday that Ohtani would make his first pitching start in three months on Sunday against Houston Astros.

The 24-year-old Japanese baseball star was out of the rotation as a pitcher since June after spraining an ulnar collateral ligament. He did, however, made a return as a part-time designated hitter in July managing 15 home runs and a .897 on-base plus slugging (OPS).

Despite bringing back Shohei Ohtani into the rotation, Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia said that the player would be on a limited pitch count on Sunday. In order to prepare himself for the comeback, Ohtani has lately thrown up to 50 pitches in the bullpen.

“We will monitor that very closely,” – said Scioscia. “We will have a range, but we are going to wait and talk internally to see what he is going to be able to do and see how the game is going.”

Angels’ rush to bring back Shohei Ohtani doesn’t necessarily have to do much with winning. Although Ohtani excelled at the beginning of the season, at 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA, the team is more interested in seeing how his right pitching elbow will react to stress and will he need Tommy John surgery. If that becomes the case, Angels would prefer to deal with it as soon as possible, without risking losing Ohtani for the 2020 season.

Shohei Ohtani started his professional baseball career in 2013 with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. During his five years with the team, he had 42–15 record with 2.52 ERA while managing 48 home runs. In 2017, Ohtani decided to come to MLB teams choosing Los Angeles Angels as his next destination.

The post Angels’ Shohei Ohtani to Make his First Pitching Start in Three Months appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani had surgery in order to address the UCL tear in his right elbow. The news was announced by Ohtani’s agent Nez Balelo.

Ohtani suffered the UCL tear in late August and was later ruled out as a pitcher for the remainder of the campaign. The 29-year-old player intended to postpone any procedure in order to finish the season as a hitter, but an oblique strain ended up putting an end to his campaign on the plate as well. This likely prompted Ohtani to have the surgery on his elbow sooner rather than later.

 According to Balelo, Ohtani has every intention to return in time to play on the Opening Day of the 2024 MLB season as a designated hitter. He also plans to continue being a two-way player, eyeing a return to the mound in 2025.

It isn’t clear whether Ohtani will make his return to baseball with the Los Angeles Angels. He will become a free agent in the 2023 season and is expected to attract record-breaking offers from other teams.

Ohtani later confirmed the procedure himself via post on social media.

“I had a procedure done on my elbow earlier this morning, and everything went very well. Thank you very much for everyone’s prayers and kind words,” Ohtani wrote on Instagram. “It was very unfortunate that I couldn’t finish out the year on the field, but I will be rooting on the boys until the end.”

Before being shut for the season, Ohtani batted .304 with 44 home runs and 96 RBI. He had a 10-5 record as a pitcher with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts.

The post Shohei Ohtani Undergoes Elbow Surgery, Plans to Return as a Hitter in 2024 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Shohei Ohtani’s return as a pitcher for the LA Angels will be short-lived. The team confirmed on Monday that Ohtani is dealing with forearms/elbow strain and won’t throw at least 4-6 weeks.

Given the Angels’ timeline and MLB’s short season in 2020, Ohtani is probably done with pitching this year. However, thanks to his dual ability, the 26-year-old Japanese will still be able to contribute as the designated hitter.

Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery in October 2018 and only returned to the mound at the beginning of this season. However, his comeback was far from spectacular as he didn’t even go through the first inning in his first start in 2020. He lasted up to second innings in the start against Houston Astros and had to undergo an MRI after the match due to discomfort in his pitching arm.

At the bats, Ohtani is .148 in six games this season while hitting two home runs and seven RBIs.

Shohei Ohtani could pitch again this season in theory, but it is highly unlikely that the Angels will take that road. The organization has been patient with Ohtani so far, and they are expected to take a cautious approach in order to have him ready for 2021. Reportedly, the Angels also remain committed to Ohtani as a dual-threat and are not considering making him exclusively a hitter.

Since coming to MLB in 2018, Ohtani has been hitting .281 with 42 home runs and 130 RBIs. In his rookie season, he also pitched in 10 games, having 4-2 record with 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts.

The post Angels’ Shohei Ohtani Probably Done with Pitching in 2020 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

The Los Angeles Angels intend to use Shohei Ohtani’s talents in full this season. According to Angels general manager Billy Eppler, Ohtani will return to being a two-way player for the team in 2020.

Ohtani excels as both pitcher and designated hitter, but Angels had to limit him to just hitting last season after he underwent a Tommy John surgery. But due to coronavirus pandemic delay, the 25-year-old had enough time to recover and is now ready to fill both roles once again.

“We’ll probably have a little bit more of a governor on him, at least at the outset,” Eppler told the media during a press conference on Tuesday. “He’s had a number of live [throwing sessions against hitters], but we want to up that intensity a little bit more and put him into a game situation.”

“We’re expecting him to be on the mound and stay on the mound and roll through spring training,” he added.

Angels’ manager Joe Maddon also confirmed that he expects to see Ohtani in the two-way role once the season kicks off. According to Maddon, the Japanese star should start as a pitcher one game a week, while hitting in three to four games between each pitching performance. 

Since joining Angels in 2018, Shohei Ohtani pitched 10 games, posting 4-2 record with 3.31 ERA and 63 strikeouts. As a hitter, Ohtani has .286 batting average with 40 home runs and 123 RBIs.

The post Shohei Ohtani Will Return to Being 2-Way Player for Angels in 2020 appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Los Angeles Angels’ star Shohei Ohtani is done with playing baseball in 2019. Angels announced on Thursday that Ohtani has a knee injury which will rule him out for the rest of the season. 

According to the team’s press release, Ohtani will undergo a surgery to “address a bipartite patella” in his left knee. Angels expect him to make a full recovery in eight to 12 weeks, meaning he will be ready for spring training next year.

Ohtani had health issues last year as well, having to undergo Tommy John surgery on his pitching elbow. This stopped him from pitching or playing in the field in 2019, and he ended up playing as a designated hitter exclusively.  In 106 games he played, he had a batting average of .286 with 18 homers and 62 RBIs.

Besides Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels also lost reliever Cam Bedrosian for the remainder of the season. Bedrosian suffered a strained forearm on Wednesday. The duo could also be joined on the sidelines by outfielder Justin Upton, who is having knee issues and is listed as uncertain.

The post Angels’ Star Shohei Ohtani Set For Knee Surgery, Will Be Out for 8-12 Weeks appeared first on SportzBonanza.

Los Angeles Angels’ Shohei Ohtani is ready to become a dual threat once again. Angels confirmed on Friday that Ohtani would make his first pitching start in three months on Sunday against Houston Astros.

The 24-year-old Japanese baseball star was out of the rotation as a pitcher since June after spraining an ulnar collateral ligament. He did, however, made a return as a part-time designated hitter in July managing 15 home runs and a .897 on-base plus slugging (OPS).

Despite bringing back Shohei Ohtani into the rotation, Angels’ manager Mike Scioscia said that the player would be on a limited pitch count on Sunday. In order to prepare himself for the comeback, Ohtani has lately thrown up to 50 pitches in the bullpen.

“We will monitor that very closely,” – said Scioscia. “We will have a range, but we are going to wait and talk internally to see what he is going to be able to do and see how the game is going.”

Angels’ rush to bring back Shohei Ohtani doesn’t necessarily have to do much with winning. Although Ohtani excelled at the beginning of the season, at 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA, the team is more interested in seeing how his right pitching elbow will react to stress and will he need Tommy John surgery. If that becomes the case, Angels would prefer to deal with it as soon as possible, without risking losing Ohtani for the 2020 season.

Shohei Ohtani started his professional baseball career in 2013 with Nippon Professional Baseball’s Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters. During his five years with the team, he had 42–15 record with 2.52 ERA while managing 48 home runs. In 2017, Ohtani decided to come to MLB teams choosing Los Angeles Angels as his next destination.

The post Angels’ Shohei Ohtani to Make his First Pitching Start in Three Months appeared first on SportzBonanza.