UTK Flash: Ohtani Surgery

The Details Emerge

Shohei Ohtani finally had his elbow procedure early Tuesday morning in Los Angeles. An announcement came from both the Los Angeles Angels and Dodgers team physician Dr. Neal ElAttrache. Here’s the key part:

“The ultimate plan after deliberation with Shohei, was to repair the issue at hand and to reinforce the healthy ligament in place while adding viable tissue for the longevity of the elbow,” ElAttrache said in the statement. “I expect full recovery and he’ll be ready to hit without any restrictions come opening day of 2024 and do both (Hit & Pitch) come 2025.”

As expected, ElAttrache did the procedure, as he had with Ohtani’s 2018 Tommy John surgery. The statement indicates that this was not Tommy John surgery, but instead a repair of the sprain and insertion of an InternalBrace. Again, expected, as is the recovery timeline.

The one quirk of the statement is the “adding viable tissue.” I’ll admit that I don’t understand that part and will continue to try and get details.

This puts Ohtani on the Trevor Story timeline, though it would be slightly faster, likely because the Red Sox waited for Story to be able to throw and play defense, while Ohtani is likely to stay at DH wherever he plays next year. The statement indicates Ohtani won’t pitch next season, a bit of a disappointment given the early indications and successes of this type of elbow surgery. Just look at this 2019 article about the procedure, quoting Astros physician Dr. David Lintner. Weeks!

I’ll have more on this in tomorrow’s Under The Knife.