Shohei Ohtani, the pitcher, may be in need of season-ending surgery with a lengthy recovery period. Shohei Ohtani, the hitter, remains one of baseball’s most exciting threats at the plate. Exactly what these facts will mean for Ohtani, the player, isn’t yet clear.
On Wednesday, news broke that the recommended course of action for his ligament damage was Tommy John. It had been obvious that something was wrong during Ohtani’s most recent start, his first in nearly three months. On Sunday Night Baseball, his velocity had wavered and then crashed; he was pulled in the third inning.