Under The Knife 8/28/23

The Great Unknown

SHOHEI OHTANI, SP/DH LAA (sprained elbow)

We still don’t know.

The most important piece of information outstanding on Shohei Ohtani is how significant the sprain is. It doesn’t take much to necessitate a surgical fix and the answer will determine which, if any, options there are for Ohtani’s elbow. The option determines how long the pitcher part of Ohtani is out, potentially well into 2025.

While the notion that the Angels offered an MRI to Ohtani when he was having cramps is interesting - why would you MRI a cramp, unless you thought it was something else? - it’s not very instructive. Some UCL sprains happen slowly, like wear and tear. Some are acute, and come apart on one pitch, though even then we don’t know if it was really one pitch or one pitch where the structure finally failed. Remember as well, most UCL sprains aren’t ruptures, where the ligament snaps in two.

As well, the initial diagnosis was made off of an ultrasound. Why wasn’t that done for the cramping, or was it? There’s yet another unknown in this saga. One AGM I spoke with said that the sequencing on this is interesting. “Everyone’s going to see this in November [when free agency starts.] I know [our medical department] is going to look back to June to see what was done when we get the packet.”

Until the information comes out - and we don’t even know if Ohtani has had the MRI or any consultations as expected - then we’re speculating. That leaves a lot of room for bad information to leak in, so I’m hoping we get that info sooner rather than later. There’s more than a chance we don’t get these results until the end of the season.

Finally, Ohtani is not wearing anything new at bat. While the UCL isn’t stressed by hitting and his results are showing that it’s not affecting him, remember how worried Bryce Harper was about sliding post-surgery? That’s not the case for Ohtani, which indicates to me he’s not worried about hurting it further. Is that a positive or negative? I don’t know, but it’s notable.

Reader Michael K asked “Could you explain this passage from Ben Verlander’s article on Ohtani?” The relevant passage states: “This recent UCL tear took place in a different part of the muscle. Every part of the muscle that was operated on during the first surgery is completely in place. Better yet, my sources expressed optimism to me about Ohtani's diagnosis.“ My answer is no, I have no idea what Verlander means here. The UCL is a ligament, which attaches bone to bone. Muscle is moved during the surgery, but not “operated on.” Maybe Verlander means that the ligament tore in a different location, but since it was reconstructed, that doesn’t mean anything. Certain locations for the sprain are better suited to repair, so maybe he means that, but I certainly can’t speak for Verlander or his alleged thinking.

FELIX BAUTISTA, RP BAL (sprained elbow)

As with Ohtani, Felix Bautista has “some degree of UCL sprain”, according to GM Mike Elias. As with the Angels, they’re being a bit circumspect about how significant the sprain is, which is the key piece of information. I’m told he will be consulting with surgeons over the next few days before a decision is made.