He’s been an Anaheim Angel for less than a week, and the young Japanese multihyphenate is already dealing with health issues. Ohtani was highly sought-after by many Major League teams for his impressive pitching, fielding, and hitting talents, and he was extremely selective when choosing his new American home.
Now it appears as though his future is a bit murkier. A physical has revealed that the phenom has a floating body (probably a bone chip) in his arm and a first-degree sprain of his right UCL. Ohtani underwent a platelet-rich plasma shot to help treat his elbow pain and has continued to train. He is not currently considered a candidate for surgery, but if his injury worsens, it could require Tommy John surgery. TJ typically requires a yearlong recovery time, in which case, Ohtani might not make his debut for a while.
This development definitively supports the claim that the young player will not be able to do it all, no matter how determined he is. Ohtani will not be able to pitch, field, and hit; he’ll have to give at least one position up.
Despite his potential, I didn’t want Shohei Ohtani on the Red Sox because his desire to do it all wasn’t what the team needs right now. Now it’s looking like he might not be able to do anything for his team at all.
