Shohei Ohtani to Continue Playing Despite UCL Injury, Angels GM Perry Minasian Says

Shohei Ohtani's UCL injury may be ending his season on the mound, but he will continue to be a terror to opposing pitchers going forward.

Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reported that Los Angeles Angels GM Perry Minasian confirmed that the two-way star will remain active as he seeks a second opinion on the injury.

Ohtani was diagnosed with a UCL tear Wednesday and is likely to undergo his second Tommy John surgery since he entered MLB in 2018. He had his first surgery following the 2018 season.

Losing Ohtani on the mound for the rest of the season is a tough blow for the Angels but losing his services entirely would be a much harder pill to swallow. He is 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA and is ranked as a contender for the AL Cy Young, but his production at the plate alone would likely have won him the AL MVP award.

He is hitting .304 with 44 home runs and 91 RBIs and has an on-base percentage above .400 and an OPS above 1.000. Keeping his bat in the lineup is crucial if the Angels have any hope of climbing back into the playoff race, but that reality is growing slimmer by the day as the team sits 10.5 games behind the final AL Wild Card spot.

He is set to be a free agent at the end of the season and the injury complicates his projected payday but continued production at the plate could still keep his name in the spotlight heading into the offseason. Two Tommy John surgeries is not a career-ender for pitchers, as players like Nathan Eovaldi, Jameson Taillon and Mike Clevinger have all returned from a second surgery.

Still, it complicates his health moving forward, and remaining in the lineup through the rest of the season will push off the eventual surgery.