Shohei Ohtani‘s abilities as a two-way player give the Los Angeles Angels a unique advantage, but now they’re presenting a conundrum for the team as they decide what to do about his elbow injury.
The Japanese sensation underwent an MRI on his right elbow on Thursday that revealed new damage to his ulnar collateral ligament, with Tommy John surgery recommended.
While the injury is keeping Ohtani off the mound, he’s continued to be used as a hitter and the results speak for themselves.
The day before his MRI, Ohtani went 4-for-4 with a walk, a stolen base, two home runs and three runs batted in (RBI). While the state of his elbow is an issue when it comes to pitching, it doesn’t appear to be hampering Ohtani at the plate.
News of a damaged UCL, followed by TWO moonshots.
— MLB (@MLB) September 6, 2018
The legend of Shohei Ohtani grows. #TipOfTheCap pic.twitter.com/n5ezow6FqK
Ohtani and the Angels now have a decision to make in regards to the timing of a potential surgery and how he’s used going forward.
If Ohtani has Tommy John surgery at any point from now until the end of the season, he will all but miss 2019 as a pitcher. By waiting until the season ends, Ohtani can continue to be used as a designated hitter, but with the Angels 19 games back in the American League West race and 15.5 games back for the Wild Card, getting surgery as soon as possible may afford Ohtani and the franchise some peace of mind.
The bigger question is what will happen to Ohtani following the surgery.
There’s an extensive list of star pitchers who’ve undergone Tommy John surgery and returned to their old self, so there should be little concern over how Ohtani will perform on the mound when he comes back.
And even though he wouldn’t be able to pitch next season, he could theoretically still hit and even play in the field because of how much less stress position players have on their throwing elbows.
For the Angels, if the choice they have to make is between Ohtani sitting out all of 2019 or still having his bat in the lineup, it would seem like a no-brainer.
But the Angels could use his layoff to convince Ohtani that his value would be greater as a full-time pitcher rather than a part-time player at both the plate and on the mound.
Being a two-way player is exactly what Ohtani signed up for, however, so the Angels would be going against his desires if they were to go that route. Realistically, it would take a willingness on Ohtani’s part to accept the change.
According to Angels general manager Billy Eppler though, the team “do still see [Ohtani] as a two-way player”.
“He made a commitment to us, and he trusted us,” Eppler said on Wednesday. “He trusted that we would use him in a two-way role, and we made that commitment. When you commit to somebody, it makes it hard to walk away from them, or it makes it hard to change course on them. Not only are you letting them down, but you’re living with the responsibility that comes with committing to somebody.”
There’s a reason two-way players don’t exist in modern day baseball, which is why Ohtani is such unicorn.
Keeping him as a two-way player would be in the best interest for the sport, but the Angels will ultimately have to do what’s best for them.
