Shohei Ohtani — light of our lives, two-way player of our dreams, the complete baseball entertainment set in one easy-to-consume package — is going on the disabled list. And not a quick “just in case” trip either, it seems. This is a more worrisome problem.
Shohei Ohtani will go on the DL with a UCL strain
He’ll be reevaluated in three weeks.
Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images
This afternoon, apparently timed perfectly to ruin everyone’s Friday and weekend, the Angels confirmed Ohtani will be spending time on the DL due to a Grade 2 UCL sprain.
This injury is what Ohtani was dealing with during the offseason as well, although at that point it was only a Grade 1 strain. The news of that came out after he had signed with the Angels but they knew of the injury before he joined the organization (as did every team pursuing him).
Right now there’s no news of him needing to undergo a procedure beyond what he’s already done, a Platelet-Rich Plasma Injection with some stem cells thrown in on the side. Basically the Five Guys combo order of baseball player medical care.
Both are procedures that Ohtani has done before, so with any luck a combination of that and rest will be enough to save him from a lengthy stay on the disabled list or (god forbid) Tommy John Surgery.
Three weeks is a long time to wait for Ohtani to be re-evaluated, especially with the Mariners looking like they do in the AL West while the Angels try to fight them and the Astros off, but if it’s only a few weeks before he can get back on the mound well-rested and sharp then that’s not too bad a price to pay.
Let’s just hope time and rest are all that are needed.
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