Los Angeles Angels fans — and baseball fans at-large — were hit with devastating injury news concerning Shohei Ohtani on Wednesday. The two-way sensation was discovered to have a tear in his UCL that will keep him from pitching the rest of the 2023 season.
Ohtani underwent imaging on his right elbow during the middle of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds on Wednesday. The 29-year-old started the first game but was pulled after 1.1 innings due to pain in his elbow. The UCL tear was determined in between games one and two against the Reds.
On Friday, Angels GM Perry Minasian revealed that the team had not done any related imaging for Ohtani’s arm until this past week. Ohtani had been suffering from arm fatigue and skipped his previous start on the mound before Wednesday. Minasian asserted that Ohtani had yet to complain about anything worthy of concern up until the scan.
“No (no imaging then),” said Minasian when asked about imaging prior to this week. “No, there was no arm issue – just fatigue, tired, cramping, dehydration.”
Of note: Angels GM Perry Minasian said that despite Ohtani suffering from cramping and arm fatigue that caused him to push back starts during this season, the team didn't do any related imaging on his arm until this past week.
— Laura Albanese (@AlbaneseLaura) August 25, 2023
The Angels GM’s revelation had many people surprised, as they felt that the team should have done testing as soon as Ohtani began having issues. However, if Ohtani hadn’t reported any pain to the team, they probably did not think there was a reason to believe he had something wrong structurally.
The Angels have confirmed that Ohtani will no longer pitch as they determine the best course of action following the injury. However, the good news is that Ohtani will continue to hit.
Despite the tear in his UCL, Ohtani was still able to smack a rocket to right field against the New York Mets on Friday.
Shohei Ohtani double!!
His 8th hardest hit ball of the season. With a torn UCL.
— Ben Verlander (@BenVerlander) August 25, 2023
Ohtani’s injury all but erases any hope for the Angels to make the postseason. They entered Friday’s contests 10.5 games behind for the final AL Wild Card spot.
