Angels GM 'hopeful' Ohtani won't need Tommy John following UCL sprain
The Los Angeles Angels will be without Shohei Ohtani until at least July, as the 23-year-old was diagnosed Friday with a Grade 2 sprain of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and will be placed on the disabled list, the club announced.
Angels general manager Billy Eppler said the club is optimistic the two-way star can avoid Tommy John surgery.
"We're hopeful that he can, that it is completely treatable with the biologic prescription the doctors recommended," Eppler said, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.
Ohtani, who received a platelet-rich plasma and stem cell injection Thursday, will be re-evaluated in three weeks, at which point the Angels will provide an update regarding his recovery plan.
In December, shortly after the Japanese sensation signed with the Angels, concern over his elbow began to surface due to a physical - conducted in Tokyo in November and obtained by Yahoo Sports - that revealed a first-degree sprain of his UCL. The Angels were quick to dismiss any concern, however, with Eppler characterizing the results of Ohtani's MRI scans as standard for a player of his age.
"Based on the readings of those MRIs, there are not signs of acute trauma in the elbow," Eppler said in a statement. "It looks consistent with players his age. We are pleased with the results of the physical and we are very happy to have the player."
Now, though, it appears Ohtani - who has started nine games on the mound and another 30 at DH this season - has done further damage to his elbow despite having his workload meticulously managed by the Angels. Ohtani, who pitched only once per week during his tenure in Nippon Professional Baseball, has received at least six days of rest between each of his starts with the Angels, and has eclipsed 100 pitches in just two outings thus far. In his most recent start, he was lifted after four innings due to a blister that developed on his throwing hand, and Ohtani complained of elbow stiffness after the blister was drained Wednesday night.
In Ohtani's absence, the Angels will likely have either Jaime Barria or Parker Bridwell fill the void in their rotation.
Through his first two-plus months in the big leagues, Ohtani - the presumptive favorite for American League Rookie of the Year - owns a 3.10 ERA over 49 1/3 innings to go with a .907 OPS in 129 plate appearances.