The Los Angeles Angels placed Shohei Ohtani on the disabled list this weekend and said the two-way star will miss at least three weeks, and general manager Billy Eppler insists that is all the team knows about the injury at this point.
Ohtani is dealing with a sprained UCL, which is the elbow ligament often associated with the dreaded Tommy John surgery. ESPN’s Pedro Gomez reported early Monday morning that signs point to Ohtani needing the procedure and potentially being out until 2020, but Eppler says that report is premature and not based in fact.
#Angels GM Billy Eppler: “There have been no changes in Ohtani’s diagnosis and neither our physicians nor medical staff have recommended (Tommy John surgery) or said it’s likely.”
The Angels announced Friday that Ohtani has a grade 2 sprain of the UCL in his right elbow.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 11, 2018
Is it possible Ohtani will need Tommy John surgery? Yes. Have the Angels made a firm conclusion at this point? No. Ohtani received inections of platelet-rich plasma and stem cells Thursday in Los Angeles. https://t.co/6ykedflERp
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) June 11, 2018
Ohtani had another recurring injury this season that Angels fans were concerned about, but suddenly that one is insignificant. It’s never a good sign when people start talking about Tommy John surgery, especially for a 23-year-old.
It’s still possible that Ohtani will be able to recover with just rest and rehab, but the timetable for how long he is out ranges from three weeks to more than a year. Angels fans will be holding their collective breath until they know more.
