Angels' Shohei Ohtani suffers devastating injury, won't pitch again in 2023
A disastrous post-trade deadline for the Los Angeles Angels got even worse on Wednesday night.
After leaving the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds in the second inning, Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani was diagnosed with a tear in his right ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow after undergoing imaging tests, and he will not pitch again this season.
After striking out two batters in the first inning, Ohtani would re-take the MLB home run lead with his 44th home run in the bottom of the first before exiting the next inning.
Not only the best hitter on the team, but Ohtani was also the Angels' best pitcher, so it hurts them double to lose him for any period of time.
With a 10-5 record including a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings, he has been even better at the plate. Slashing .304/.405/.664 with 44 home runs and 91 RBI, the Angels slugger has also added 22 doubles and seven triples during his 2023 campaign that's surely to win him the American League Most Valuable Player.
A free agent after this season, Ohtani was in line to receive a massive deal from interested suitors. However, this injury could shy teams away from paying the premium to secure Ohtani's talents this upcoming offseason.
It could also shift Ohtani to accept a short-term deal from a team and re-enter free agency after he is fully healed from his elbow injury if surgery is needed.
Considered to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest talent, to ever play in the MLB, he could finish the season off as the designated hitter while waiting to figure out a plan for recovery.
Ohtani will have his eyes set on contributing however he can in 2024 for the Angels, or possibly for a new team next season.
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