Angels Superstar Shohei Ohtani Dealt Devastating Injury

What makes Shohei Ohtani a baseball unicorn is his ability to be one of the top hitters and pitchers in Major League Baseball.

But now, the Los Angeles Angels superstar won’t be able to do one of those things.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters late Wednesday night that Ohtani has a tear in his UCL and will not pitch the rest of the season, according to ESPN’s Jeff Passan. It’s unclear if Ohtani will have to undergo Tommy John surgery.

This isn’t the first time in Ohtani’s career that he has dealt with elbow issues. The 29-year-old had Tommy John surgery in 2018.

Ohtani was on the mound Wednesday in the first game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds. But he only lasted 1 1/3 innings, coming out of the game during the middle of an at-bat due to what the team called “arm fatigue.” Further imaging revealed a much more significant injury, though.

Ohtani started 23 games for the Angels this season, posting a 10-5 record to go along with a 3.14 ERA and a 1.06 WHIP. He totaled 167 strikeouts in 132 innings and this season was the third consecutive year that the right-hander made more than 20 starts.

Even though he won’t pitch again this season, Ohtani made MLB history by becoming the first player with 40 home runs and 10 wins in a season, according to ESPN Stats and Info.

The injury will almost certainly have ramifications on Ohtani’s next contract, too, as he is set to become a free agent after this season.