8:19PM: Minasian told ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez and other reporters that Ohtani underwent an MRI on Friday that showed continued oblique irritation, so the decision was made to shut him down for the remainder of 2023. “I don’t have details on [Ohtani’s upcoming elbow] procedure, but obviously he wants to get that as quick as he can and start getting ready for ’24,” Minasian said. In regards to Ohtani’s early locker clearout, Minasian explained that “I think in his mind he thought there was a possibility for a procedure today, and that’s why he packed.” Largely sidestepping a question about the Angels’ chances of re-signing Ohtani, Minasian said media would have to ask the player himself, adding that “it’s been a pleasure to get to know him these last three years and hopefully he’s here for a long time.”
2:03PM: The Angels have placed Shohei Ohtani on the injured list with an oblique strain, the team announced to reporters, including Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times. This marks the end of both his 2023 season, and quite possibly his tenure with the Angels.
Ohtani was in the midst of the best season of his already remarkable career when a UCL tear stopped him in his tracks in mid-August. While he might have opted to address the injury immediately (increasing his chances of making a quick return in 2024) he chose instead to play out the rest of the year as a designated hitter. Unfortunately, he suffered a second injury just ten days later, hurting his oblique during batting practice. At the time, the team believed the injury to be minor, but Ohtani would go on to sit out the next several games. On Friday, after he missed his 11th game in a row, reporters noticed his locker at Angel Stadium had been cleared out, inviting speculation that Ohtani was being shut down.
General manager Perry Minasian is expected to provide further information later today. So could Ohtani himself, who is expected to be at the ballpark when the Angels take on the Tigers for the second game of the weekend series.
While this clearly isn’t the outcome Ohtani or the Angels were hoping for, an early end to his season could give the two-way star a chance to address his torn UCL as soon as possible. Earlier this month, his agent Nez Balelo revealed that some sort of procedure to repair his elbow was “inevitable.” It is not clear what type of procedure (such as Tommy John surgery or an internal bracing procedure) Ohtani might face, but any kind of elbow repair comes with recovery time. Ohtani has no timetable for his return to the mound, but the sooner he seeks treatment, the sooner he can begin the rehabilitation process.
Ohtani is set to become a free agent following the season, and his impending free agency has been the talk of the sport throughout the year. Before his injury issues popped up, many thought he could command upwards of $500MM on the open market, and even now, Ohtani still seems likely to sign the largest free agent deal in MLB history. His durability is a legitimate cause for concern, but when he’s on the field, Ohtani’s two-way ability naturally creates a bigger impact than any of his peers. Over the past three years, he has hit 124 home runs with a .964 OPS and a 2.84 ERA. That level of performance will net him an enormous payday, even if Ohtani doesn’t step onto a mound during the first year of his next contract.
Whether that enormous payday comes from the Angels or another club, however, remains to be seen. Right now, it’s hard to imagine Ohtani is all that optimistic about the direction in which his team is headed; Los Angeles is two losses away from its eighth straight losing season, despite an MVP-caliber effort from their best player. Ohtani will have no shortage of suitors, and he has previously suggested that he wants to play for a winning team. Thus, it’s quite possible he has already played his last game in an Angels uniform – a 10-6 loss to the Athletics in which he went 0-for-3 with two walks, so hardly a storybook ending.
On the bright side, Ohtani still has a chance to go out on a high note when awards season rolls around. He seems like a lock to win his second AL MVP, even though his injury gives other contenders (i.e. Corey Seager, Marcus Semien, and Julio Rodriguez) a slight chance to catch up. Currently, Ohtani leads the AL with 44 home runs, a .412 on-base percentage, and 325 total bases, to go along with his 3.14 ERA in 23 starts. He also leads the second-place Seager by 2.6 FanGraphs WAR and 3.1 Baseball Reference WAR, which is a cavernous gap to close with just 15 games remaining on the schedule.