The Angels placed Shohei Ohtani on the disabled list Friday because of a Grade 2 sprain to his ulnar collateral ligament, saying they would reevaluate his situation in three weeks.
We might not see the two-way Japanese sensation on the field until well after that.
ESPN’s Pedro Gomez reported Sunday night that the Angels are worried that Ohtani’s UCL sprain has progressed to Grade 3, a full tear that would require ligament replacement surgery (a.k.a. Tommy John surgery) and a lengthy rehab process.
“It’s not good at this point. There’s three grades of an ulnar collateral ligament injury, Grade 1 being the mildest; Grade 2 -— which is what Ohtani is having right now — is a more severe sprain; Grade 3 being a full tear, where you’ve gotta have Tommy John surgery,” Gomez said on “SportsCenter.