Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Shohei Ohtani. Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

Shohei Ohtani’s plans for playing remainder of season revealed

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Grey Papke | Last updated 8/24/23

Shohei Ohtani will not pitch again in 2023, but there is reason to question whether the Los Angeles Angels star will contribute much at all with the team rapidly falling out of contention.

Ohtani, however, has no intention of calling it a season early. According to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN, Ohtani is traveling with the Angels and plans to continue to hit in games while he determines his next course of action regarding his torn UCL.

Just said this on SportsCenter: Shohei Ohtani will be with the Angels in New York, and it looks like he’ll continue to hit while he decides the next course of action with his UCL tear.

— Alden González (@Alden_Gonzalez) August 24, 2023

It has not yet been decided if Ohtani will need surgery to repair the UCL tear. As long as he does not, there is nothing stopping him from continuing to hit. It is unclear when a decision will be made on whether Ohtani needs an operation or not.

It would be very easy for Ohtani to simply call it a season. He has little to gain from playing through injury, with the Angels entering play Thursday with a 61-67 record. Clearly, he wants to contribute as long as he is able and deserves some credit for that.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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