Shohei Ohtani: MLB Officials Predict He Might Not Take Pitch Until 2025
After undergoing surgery to repair his elbow ligaments, the Japanese pitcher won’t be able to throw until 2025.
Maybe the most valuable free agent in MLB history is Shohei Ohtani. Nevertheless, after undergoing surgery on his elbow ligament, what once appeared to be a certain contract for more than $500 million now appears more problematic than any organization would tolerate.
He won’t be able to pitch until 2025, which means he’ll have to settle for designated hitter duties in 2024. It’s unclear if he’ll be able to play both ways going forward, even though it wasn’t made public that the surgery was a second Tommy John.
Has ‘Japanese Babe Ruth’ run its course?
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, who talked with a high-ranking National League official, there is actually discussion among MLB officials themselves that Shohei Ohtani won’t throw again, at least not for a while.
2023 Shohei Ohtani’s stats
After putting up an amazing season on both sides of the ball—as a pitcher, he tossed 132 innings, 167 strikeouts, a 10-5 record, and a 3.14 ERA—the slugger/pitcher was unanimously awarded his second MVP award, much as this past 2021.
With 44 home runs, a.304/.412/.654 batting line, and the highest OPS, OPS+, and WAR totals in all of MLB (1.066, 184, and 10.0, respectively), he topped the American League in hitting. Corey Seager and Marcus Semien, the World Series winners, went 2 and 3 against the Japanese.
