Pitching causes tears within pitchers’ elbows. It always has. Evidence shows that the harder pitchers throw, the more likely significant tears are to develop, and the more likely they are to eventually require surgery to fix those tears. New Angel two-way player Shohei Ohtani throws exceptionally hard when pitching, and Yahoo Sports reported Tuesday that he was diagnosed in October with a first-degree sprain, or a small tear, within the ulnar collateral ligament of his prized right elbow.
News of the tear spurred panic, but the Angels examined his elbow with multiple MRI exams last week and have known about the diagnosis since last month.