Ohtani, MLB’s two-way star, was on the cusp of what seemed certain to be the most lucrative free agency in baseball history.
to end the most riveting global baseball tournament anyone had seen in decades — a tournament that required Ohtani to pitch with playoff intensity during the month he was normally just building stamina, a tournament everyone knew posed injury risks because it disrupted routine. Until Wednesday, it seemed the magic of the WBC had not required the feared deal with the baseball injury devil.
In hindsight, perhaps, there were warning signs. He left a couple starts with cramps. The Angels, citing fatigue, held him out of the rotation for two weeks before he started Wednesday’s game. But he never hit the injured list, and the stated reason for caution never included the word “elbow.”“He never complained about anything. He had cramps. He was dehydrated. Today was the day he came out of the game and said ‘hey, I’ve got some pain in the elbow area.
But now, old questions about the long-term viability of any major leaguer pitching and hitting full-time will surface yet again. After all, the general rule of thumb is that repaired UCLs give pitchers another 10 years or so before they need to worry about them again. Ohtani’s did not last five. Minasian could not say how severe the tear is, or whether it will need surgery. But history suggests treating and resting UCL tears normally postpones the inevitable, rather than avoiding it.
Still, any team trying to lure Ohtani in free agency will almost certainly hurt their pitch by suggesting he cannot do both. Ohtani has said many times, in many languages, that pitching and hitting at the same time is what he loves to do, is what allows him to express himself. When he first came to MLB, he was intent on finding a team that would not limit one to preserve the other.
But as of Thursday morning, surgery was not a sure thing. Neither was Ohtani’s presence in the Angels lineup Friday when they begin a weekend series with the New York Mets.
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