Stan Kasten, Nez Balelo provide update on Shohei Ohtani’s surgery
Shohei Ohtani’s introductory press conference was Thursday at Dodger Stadium. Questions during and after Ohtani’s time on stage focused on the elbow surgery he underwent last September, which put a temporary pause on the pitching side of his two-way career.
The Angels never revealed what kind of surgery Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed on Ohtani in September. Instead they released a statement on behalf of his agency, CAA — an unusual step for a major league team. The statement read, in part: “The ultimate plan after deliberation with Shohei was to repair the issue at hand and to reinforce the healthy ligament in place while adding viable tissue for the longevity of the elbow.”
Reporters could only do their best to weigh in on what that meant. As recently as Thursday morning, some still claimed Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery, in which the ulnar collateral ligament in the elbow is replaced with different ligament tissue from elsewhere in the body. Thirty of the 64 hardest-throwing pitchers in MLB as of 2023 had undergone the procedure, making it the most common surgical procedure for pitchers with UCL damage.
What kind of surgery did the Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani have?
Speaking to reporters after Ohtani’s press conference, CAA agent Nez Balelo said “there’s no name to his surgery. It’s completely different than the last time.”
Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery on Oct. 1, 2018. Ostensibly he underwent a different procedure in September. That it has no name speaks to its relative rarity in medical practice.
Rare does not necessarily mean risky, however.
“We’ve seen all the medical records and spoken to all the doctors,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten told Dodgers Nation. “We’ve been told that he’s going to be just fine. And it is not a thing to really worry about. Obviously we believed it because of our investment.”
Ohtani returned to DHing duties with the Angels in May 2019, five months and one week after his original Tommy John surgery. Thursday, he said he can be ready to hit by Opening Day in March 2024.
When will Shohei Ohtani pitch again?
For pitchers, the typical timeframe for recovery from Tommy John surgery is 12 to 18 months. When should fans expect to see Ohtani on a mound?
Kasten told Dodgers Nation it might not happen next season.
“That’s the safest thing,” Kasten said. “We do expect him to pitch in ‘25.”
Still, Balelo compared Ohtani’s recovery favorably to his recovery from the original Tommy John surgery.
“He’s already taking dry swings much quicker,” Balelo said. “He’s lifting, he’s working out much quicker than the first one. He’s on track to be good. He has complete flexibility in his arm. He’s fine. He’s swinging it. He’s probably going to be hitting off a tee next week, so we’re on track. We feel good about that. The doctors feel good, his PT feels good about that, so we’re excited.”
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Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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