Deciding to shut down his season due to elbow and oblique injuries over the weekend, Shohei Ohtani may have just played his last game as an Angel.
Cleaning out his locker in a move that stirred up much speculation from sources both inside and outside of the team, Halos closer Carlos Estevez gave his thoughts on the incident after what's been a trying past two months of the season.
“I asked him, ‘Hey, what’s going on?’ And he told me the same that we all now know,” Estévez said. “I told him, I really respect what you do. This is really amazing to see a guy do this. Don’t change. Be the same guy.’”
Though it's unclear what type of elbow procedure he'll need, Ohtani will undergo surgery on his arm in the near future which was the ultimate reason for his shutdown.
Premature as it may be, it makes sense that Ohtani would want to get the rehab process for his arm to continue his pitching career as quickly as possible.
To possibly see his Angels career end in such a manner is nothing short of heartbreaking not just for the organization, but for fans of baseball everywhere.
In his six seasons with the franchise and especially the past three, the WBC MVP has redefined what it means to be a two-way player, accomplishing feats the game has truly never seen before.
Surely the AL MVP winner for 2023, the second of his career, Ohtani's run of dominance won't be forgotten as he's put up at least 9 WAR in each of the last three years.
Had Aaron Judge not had 62 home runs in a deserving MVP season of his own in 2022, Ohtani's trophy case may hold three consecutive MVP awards from 2021-2023.
As it stands, the best player in baseball will have to settle for bookend trophies, as he enters an offseason of uncertainty in many facets.
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