Angels’ Shohei Ohtani Undergoing Season-Ending Elbow Surgery

Shohei Ohtani’s 2023 season has officially reached its end.

While the Angels head for their ninth consecutive postseason miss, Ohtani heads for elbow surgery, as revealed by Los Angeles general manager Perry Minasian on Saturday. That puts the final nail in the coffin for the Angels, who once again squandered to capitalize on having the undisputed best — and arguably second-best — player in Major League Baseball.

“He had an MRI, wanted to see his oblique. Still saw some irritation in that area — small irritation in that area, and decided to shut it down for the season,” Minasian told reporters Saturday, per MLB.com. “… I think for him, it went right into the procedure, procedure mode and we decided to keep talking to him and Nez (Baleo), and I think in his mind he thought there was a possibility for a procedure today. And that’s why he packed.”

That helped clear up the uprise of speculation that surrounded the news of Ohtani’s locker being cleared after Friday night’s 11-2 loss to the Tigers.

Ohtani’s season might’ve been cut short, but the 29-year-old still made a convincing case for the 2023 American League MVP. He batted .304 with an AL-leading 44 home runs and 95 RBIs. On the mound, Ohtani went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA over the course of 23 starts.

“Shohei, he’s one of a kind,” Minasian said. “Great player, great person. I think anybody that knows him, has a chance to talk to him, be around him, he’s a team guy. He’s a pretty special guy, a pretty special player and it’s been a pleasure to have a chance to get to know him and hopefully he’s here for a long time.”

Reaching the end of his Angels contract, Ohtani will become an unrestricted free agent this offseason to be the hottest name on the market. Much like on the field, all eyes will be directed at Ohtani regarding his much-anticipated offseason decision and the unknown dollar figure it’ll take to land the two-way phenom.