The agent for Shohei Ohtani spoke with the media on Monday and answered some big questions people have been wondering about his client.
Ohtani began to have some pitching issues in August. He skipped one start due to arm fatigue. When he returned to the mound, he exited his return start in the second inning due to pain. An MRI revealed that Ohtani had a tear in his UCL.
Though Ohtani was shut down as a pitcher for the rest of the season, he has continued to serve as a designated hitter for the Los Angeles Angels.
Some people have felt like Ohtani overworked himself and that’s why he hurt his arm again. Some others feel that it will be difficult for the two-way star to return from a second Tommy John surgery (if he undergoes that type of procedure). People are calling for Ohtani to stop pitching and just become a hitter.
But agent Nez Balelo says that won’t be happening.
Balelo answered a big question Monday when he asserted that Ohtani will continue to both pitch and hit, just as he has done throughout his MLB career.
“There’s not a question in his mind that he’s gonna come back and he’s gonna continue to do both,” Balelo said of Ohtani, via ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez.
That settles that.
Ohtani lives to be challenged. He sets the standard for himself as high as possible and has reached levels very few people thought he could. That’s what drives him, so it would be completely inconsistent with his character for him to give up on pitching.
Balelo was also asked the other big question by reporters, but he did not give a specific answer.
Many people are wondering whether Ohtani will undergo a second Tommy John surgery. Balelo said that Ohtani will undergo some sort of procedure, but they have not decided what kind yet.
When Ohtani signed with the Angels in December 2017, it was revealed that he had a tear in his UCL. He tried to pitch through the issue but ended up undergoing Tommy John surgery in late 2018, which kept him out as a pitcher until 2020. A second Tommy John surgery would cause Ohtani to miss all of 2024 as a pitcher, and perhaps part of the season too as a hitter. Balelo did say that Ohtani would be ready as a hitter for 2024.
Shohei Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, said that Ohtani is still exploring treatment possibilities. He conceded that “some type of procedure” will be necessary but it may not be Tommy John surgery.
Also, he said Ohtani will be ready to hit “when the bell rings” in 2024.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) September 4, 2023
Balelo shared a couple of other noteworthy nuggets. He added that Ohtani’s surgically-repaired UCL tear from 2018 remains intact.
Shohei Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, said Ohtani’s tear is in a different part of his UCL. It’s at the bottom of his UCL and the original repair from 2018 remains intact. Balelo called it a best-case scenario. They are still weighing his options but some sort of surgery is likely
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) September 4, 2023
Additionally, the agent defended the Angels, who have come under scrutiny for potentially mishandling the former AL MVP.
Shohei Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, said Ohtani’s tear is in a different part of his UCL. It’s at the bottom of his UCL and the original repair from 2018 remains intact. Balelo called it a best-case scenario. They are still weighing his options but some sort of surgery is likely
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) September 4, 2023
