As you know, Shohei Ohtani can no longer pitch this season. He suffered a tear in his elbow, which could even force him to undergo Tommy John surgery.
Is he going to have surgery? Who knows. Looks like I have a feeling so, but a lot can change by then.
Obviously, this is a file that everyone is following with interest at the moment. The future free agent will clearly be affected by all of this.
How? That remains to be seen.
In the short term, we know that this does not prevent him from acting as a hitter of choice. This was also the case for Bryce Harper at the start of the year (he was a DH and not an outfielder) and for Ohtani in 2019.
So that’s to say the plan is to hit the Angels star for the time being.
In fact, right now, he’s knocking. I have a feeling that unless he gets surgery now, he’s going to keep hitting until the end of the Angels season.
And even if he has surgery, when he comes back, he will strike relatively quickly.
The question is above all whether his career as a pitcher will ever have to end abruptly. After all, if he has a second Tommy John, it can be hard to come back.
This does not would not be impossible, of coursebut that wouldn’t be easy either.
The feeling I have is that the contract he will sign this winter will include a clause with bonuses if he pitches. The contract would be built to ensure he hits and protect the club if he doesn’t kick.
It would be fair to everyone.
Because right now, that’s the only certainty we have: Ohtani will continue to be a dominant hitter going forward… but who knows what awaits him on the mound.
Maybe the reality is less worse than that, but there is a world where his pitching career is well and truly in jeopardy.
- Mike Rizzo will remain in Washington.
- The Rangers need to get up.
- The reunion festival in Boston.
- Can Vladimir Guerrero Jr. get up?
- For those who want to help a friend whose cousin has serious cancer, I leave you the following link: GoFundMe.
