The Angels May Have Exacerbated Shohei Ohtani's Arm Injury

Shohei Ohtani had been in the midst of one of the greatest seasons in baseball history.

Ohtani's been 81% better than an average hitter, with a whopping 44 home runs along with a .305/.408/.665 batting line. Combined with his well above average baserunning, that's put Ohtani alone at the top of the American League WAR rankings.

As a hitter.

But Shohei's one of the league's best pitchers too, with a 3.14 ERA and 167 strikeouts in 132 innings. His unique, to say the least, level of ability was widely expected to make him the most valuable free agent in history after the season.

Or at least, that's what it seemed like until just last week. News broke recently that Ohtani had a torn UCL, an injury that usually results in Tommy John surgery.

READ: ANGELS DOOMED AFTER SHOHEI OHTANI TEARS UCL, WON’T PITCH FOR REMAINDER OF SEASON

It was a catastrophic update for him as a player, the Angels organization, and the sport as a whole. And the Angels handling of Ohtani this season may not have helped.

Laura Albanese of Newsday reported that Angels General Manager Perry Minasian told reporters that despite Ohtani complaining of "arm fatigue" earlier this season, the team never conducted any "imaging" on it until this week.

Well that sounds like a mistake!

SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 04: Shohei Ohtani #17 of the Los Angeles Angels walks to the dugout after being replaced during the sixth inning against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on July 04, 2023 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Orlando Ramirez/Getty Images)

Ohtani Set To Lose A Fortune From Injury

While it hasn't yet been officially announced that Ohtani will undergo Tommy John surgery, it seems. a near certainty.

Given the timing of the injury, it's a near certainty that he won't return to a mound until the 2025 season. If his organization even wants to risk further arm injuries.

Ohtani was widely expected to get a contract in excess of $500 million, but with his value as a pitcher severely diminished, the injury could cost him a tremendous amount of money.

READ: CURT SCHILLING SAYS UCL INJURY WILL POTENTIALLY COST SHOHEI OHTANI $250M IN NEW CONTRACT

It's understandable that the Angels didn't want to rush to an MRI after complaints of simple "fatigue." But when dealing with the most talented player in baseball, it seems inexcusable to not at least check when it happens repeatedly.

That's not to say that conducting imaging earlier in the season would have prevented the injury. But it may have given the Angels and Ohtani more information to make a better decision about his usage.

Ohtani will still get a massive payday, but given their handling of this injury and yet another disappointing postseason miss, it's now a near-certainty that contract will come from a different team. One that won't get his services as a pitcher until 2025.