Shohei Ohtani Tears UCL Because We Can't Have Nice Things
The superstar two-way player's looming free agency will now be even more chaotic than previously thought possible.
Gah. Gulp. Ugh. WOOF.
The worst possible baseball thing happened on Wednesday, and for once it didn’t involve Rob Manfred opening his mouth in front of a reporter.
When Shohei Ohtani was removed from his start after facing only four hitters during game 1 of the Angels vs. Reds doubleheader, I tried to remain calm. After all, Ohtani has been yanked from games this year due to minor issues such as a blister, a cracked nail and finger cramps— which are bound to happen when you attempt to drag the dead weight of an entire 26-man roster into the playoffs all by yourself.
But, I always hold my breath when great players leave games early, and I’m especially sensitive to the idea that anything bad could ever befall Ohtani, our precious baseball Jesus, so close to his impending free agency. Or ever.
Ohtani exited the game as a hitter, too, which seemed not great! But when he was penciled into his usual slot, batting second, in the nightcap of the twin billing, I went to dinner with a friend and assumed I could give the lil worry machine that runs my brain the night off.
Er, um, oops?
As I got into bed a minute before 10 pm, a text message from a friend in Anaheim lit up my darkened bedroom. “Ohtani tore his UCL today and won’t pitch again this year,” it read. The East Coast was asleep, and had no idea it would wake up to news that would turn baseball’s upcoming free-agent market on its head.
As I write this, Ohtani says he intends to stay on the field as a hitter this season, and will seek opinions of multiple doctors before deciding whether to have the dreaded Tommy John surgery. If he does go under the knife, he will miss all of the 2024 season as a pitcher and a good chunk of it as a hitter. It would also mark his second time undergoing the procedure—his first elbow reconstruction surgery took place in 2018.
Ok. So here’s the good news: