Shohei Ohtani threw 23 pitches in a bullpen session before Saturday’s game against the A’s. This is the phenom’s first step towards returning the mound for the Los Angeles Angels.
Los Angeles Angels rookie Shohei Ohtani took a small first step toward returning to the rotation on Saturday. Ohtani has not seen time on a mound since receiving stem-cell and platelet-rich plasma injections to treat his sprained ulnar collateral ligament in June. Even though the phenom only threw 23 pitches, this session is a positive sign in his recovery.
Manager Mike Scioscia was very optimistic in his comments about his two-way star.
“He’s been terrific,” Scioscia said (to MLB.com). “I think that he’s feeling very, very comfortable with the fact that everything is sound in his elbow. As we continue to test it moving forward in the next couple weeks, we’ll get a better idea of exactly where he is.”
This is very good news for the Angels as they hope that their Japanese rookie can avoid Tommy-John surgery. After a tough spring, Ohtani came into the season with questions surrounding his abilities. The youngster quickly proved the doubters wrong as he showed that he can be electric on the mound and hold his own with the bat.
In his first nine starts, Ohtani pitched to a 3.10 ERA with 61 strikeouts over 49.1 innings. Everyone in the baseball world salivated over the 23-year-old’s potential before suffering a grade-2 sprain of his ulnar collateral ligament. Ohtani has not pitched for the Angels since June 6.
There are pros and cons to taking the Angels’ current approach of rest and treatment as opposed to surgery. Grade-2 sprains typically imply that there is a partial tearing of the ligament. Because Ohtani is only 23-years-old, there is a very good chance that he could make a full recovery from Tommy-John surgery. If he had the surgery when originally diagnosed, Ohtani could be healthy for the home-stretch of 2019.
In my opinion, the Angels’ medical staff took an unnecessary risk by opting to treat the injury without surgery.
According to Forbes, “There are only a few research studies looking at the results of conservative treatment, including PRP, to treat partial UCL tears, with the success ranging from about 40% to 65%.”
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While Ohtani could possibly return to the mound in September, avoiding surgery could leave his elbow vulnerable to future elbow injuries. This is not Ohtani’s first elbow injury, the righty missed time in 2017 with a grade-1 strain of his UCL. To me, this seems that the Angels are pushing off the inevitable in order to have their young star healthy in the short run.
On the other hand, this strategy could pay big dividends for the Angels as Ohtani has clearly developed as a hitter. Coming into 2018, scouts had doubts about Ohtani’s hitting ability. After 202 at-bats, Ohtani has hit 12 home runs, drove in 32 RBIs, and has an OPS+ of 138 as the Angels’ designated hitter. Would Shohei Ohtani be this good of a hitter if he was still pitching once a week? We will never know for sure, but it is hard to imagine that it did not play a factor in his development.
Scioscia seems to understand the risks, but he also sees a benefit to Ohtani making a return to the mound in 2018.
"“It’s something you can’t force. It’s not worth trying to get peace of mind and putting yourself at risk. All of these injuries will heal on their own time. We will take it one step at a time. I do think that it is important for a pitcher, coming out of this season, to know they’re healthy. It gives them, I think, a leg up in the winter, and then going into Spring Training, they’re ready to go.”"
As of now, it seems that Ohtani is on track to being able to finish the season as a two-way player. As it would for any player, ending the season healthy would be a confidence booster for Ohtani, the Los Angeles Angels, and their fans. A healthy Shohei Ohtani brightens the possibilities for the Halos 2019 season.