Is Shohei Ohtani’s Injury Similar to Cody Bellinger’s With Dodgers?

The Dodgers announced on Tuesday that designated hitter Shohei Ohtani underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The organization expects Ohtani to be healthy for spring training in February. 

This is not the first time one of the Dodgers standout players underwent this operation. Former Dodgers outfielder Cody Bellinger completed an operation in 2020. Both Ohtani and Bellinger endured these injuries during the postseason. For Bellinger, his celebration of a go-ahead home run in the 2020 National League Championship Series dislocated his right shoulder. In Ohtani’s case, the injury was sustained in an attempt to steal second base in Game 2 of the World Series.

Fortunately for Ohtani, the injury occurred on his non-throwing shoulder, providing more hope that Ohtani will be fully recovered for next season. This is a much better scenario than that of Bellinger. Despite being healthy for the Opening Day roster, Bellinger struggled at the plate that season. He injured his right shoulder, which is on his leading arm while batting. The following season he logged a career-low .165 batting average. The struggle continued for the remainder of his career in Los Angeles.

While the injury is not expected to impact his batting, it is undetermined how the recovery process will interfere with his long-awaited return to the mound. Ohtani pitched every season of his MLB career except 2019 with the Los Angeles Angels. He did not pitch a single inning this season with the Dodgers.

The Dodgers expect Ohtani to take the mound for the first time with the franchise in 2025. However, this is expected to delay his return. 

Photo Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

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