Angels' Shohei Ohtani Posts 'Go Halos' After Elbow Surgery amid Free Agency Rumors

Shohei Ohtani has potentially already played his last game as a member of the Los Angeles Angels, but he still showed support for his teammates on Tuesday.

Ohtani, who will become a free agent this winter, included kind words toward the Angels in his Instagram post announcing that he underwent surgery on his elbow.

"I had a procedure done on my elbow earlier this morning and everything went very well. Thank you very much for everyone's prayers and kind words. It was very unfortunate that I couldn't finish out the year on the field, but I will be rooting on the boys until the end," he wrote in the caption. "I will work as hard as I can and do my best to come back on the diamond stronger than ever. Go Halos!!"

Ohtani's agent released a statement saying that he is expected to recover in time to begin hitting "without any restrictions" by Opening Day in 2024 and he will be able to return to the mound in 2025.

The two-way star leads the American League with 44 home runs while also adding 95 RBI and a .304 batting average. On the mound, he went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP and 167 strikeouts in 132.0 innings.

Prior to his injury, there was speculation that Ohtani would land a historic contract in free agency. There's a chance he still gets that, but it remains to be seen if he will stay put in Los Angeles or take his talents elsewhere.