MLB
Ohtani Recommended To Have Tommy John Surgery
Earlier this week, Angels rookie Shohei Ohtani had an MRI reveal UCL damage in his right elbow. There is a possibility Ohtani will have to go undergo Tommy John Surgery to repair the damage in his elbow. The Angels will let it play out until the end of the season and make a decision then. If Ohtani does undergo the Tommy John Surgery, he won’t be able to pitch until 2020. However, he could return earlier to the DH role for the Angels.
Shohei Ohtani homers twice after learning of elbow issue
The night Ohtani discovered that there was UCL damage in his elbow, he hit two home runs against the Texas Rangers. He finished the night 4-4 with two homers, and 3 RBI’s. Ohtani now has 18 homers in his rookie campaign for the Angels. We could potentially see Ohtani as only a hitter from now on in his career. Ohtani, 24, certainly has the power to be a 40 home run 100 RBI hitter in his career.
Ohtani’s case for AL Rookie of the Year
Over the course of the season, Shohei Ohtani certainly has made his case for AL Rookie of the Year. Ohtani leads all rookies in slugging percentage, and he leads all AL rookies in OBP. The only other competition for Ohtani is Yankees infielders Gleyber Torres, and Miguel Andujar. Ohtani has shown he can be a better hitter than both Torres and Andujar when healthy. The only thing that could hurt Ohtani’s chances at AL ROY Award is his limited playing time. With being the DH on days he does not pitch, it is harder to get a full glimpse of Ohtani as a hitter. With Torres and Andujar playing nearly every day, we know what they can do. This should not ruin Ohtani’s chances, but in today’s baseball world, this may perhaps harm his shot at an AL Rookie of the Year.
Photo credit to Derral Chen via Flickr
