Shohei Ohtani’s agent, Nez Balelo, addressed the media Monday regarding his client’s torn UCL that will prevent him from pitching for the rest of the 2023 season and possibly throughout the 2024 campaign.
Balelo told reporters a surgical procedure is “inevitable,” although he did not specify whether it would be another Tommy John surgery. The Los Angeles Angels star, who is headed into free agency this offseason, has already undergone Tommy John surgery in his career.
The comments came on the same day the Angels announced Ohtani would miss Monday’s contest against the Baltimore Orioles because of right oblique tightness.
The thing that makes Ohtani so unique is his ability to both hit and pitch at such a high level. Whichever team signs him would be getting an ace and a middle-of-the-order bat in one move, but the UCL injury figures to have repercussions on his market if it prevents him from pitching.
“There’s not a question in his mind that he’s gonna come back and he’s gonna continue to do both,” Balelo said.
Ohtani might not be doing both in 2024, though, as the agent said he “is going to be in somebody’s lineup next year, DH-ing when the bell rings.”
When specifically asked if he may pitch next year, Balelo said, “I don’t have that answer, I don’t. It’s all going to be based on the type of procedure and the type of situation that we’re going to fall into, coming up soon.”
Balelo also explained the original Tommy John repair remains intact and that this injury is in a completely different place, which he saw as the “best case scenario.”
The torn UCL and reality that Ohtani might not be pitching next year could prevent him from signing a record-setting contract. But he still figures to have a massive market considering he is 29 years old and one of the best hitters in the league.
The 2021 American League MVP is slashing .304/.412/.654 with 44 home runs, 95 RBI and 20 stolen bases this year, which are incredibly valuable numbers even if he doesn’t pitch again in the future.
USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reported on Sunday that “teams now are viewing Ohtani as an elite power hitter, and if he can return to pitching in 2025, it’ll be a bonus. The new contract will certainly have incentives and bonuses if he becomes a pitcher again, and surely an opt-out.”
Balelo’s insistence that Ohtani will at least be hitting next season should help allay some fears from teams that a surgical procedure would leave the three-time All-Star sidelined for the entirety of the 2024 campaign.
And the possibility that he could eventually return to being one of the best pitchers in the league all while anchoring a lineup figures to increase any potential contract offers, even if there is an element of risk involved.
Ohtani will still be the biggest prize on the free agency market even with the injury.
