Shohei Ohtani Playing with UCL Injury on 68-72 Team? Dumb as Hell

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What could you do if your elbow had a torn UCL that doctors strongly recommended Tommy John surgery? Los Angeles Angels batter-pitcher hybrid Shohei Ohtani went 4-for-4 with four runs, three RBI, two homers, a stolen base and a walk during a 9-3 road victory against the Texas Rangers. Earlier that day, Ohtani learned that he’d likely need UCL reconstruction surgery on his pitching elbow.

Talk about a sight to behold. It’s hard to fathom anyone crushing MLB fastballs 400-plus feet when they have a bad elbow. Nobody can question Ohtani’s toughness or his love for the game. Obviously, Ohtani can still bat at an elite level.

That doesn’t mean he should. The Angels are 68-72. They’re 15.5 games out of the American League’s No. 2 wild card with 22 games to play. Postseason dreams have flat-lined.

Three days earlier (Sep. 2) showcased Shohei Ohtani’s return as a pitcher. His 49-pitch outing featured wild variances on his velocity as he surrendered two earned runs in 2.1 innings pitched. This was his first pitching performance since an early departure from a June 6 contest against the Kansas City Royals. Ohtani spent nearly three months rehabilitating his elbow hoping it wouldn’t need Tommy John surgery.

Efforts to avoid surgery were in vain. Less than three innings were needed for new damage to reveal itself. Surgery will almost certainly prevent him from pitching before 2020. Ohtani can hit now. What about after having the surgery?

Earliest indicators are that the injury shouldn’t prevent him from designated hitting during 2019. It’s worth noting that Los Angeles Dodgers shortstop Corey Seager was ruled out for the season after having the same surgery at the start of May. Position players have quicker recovery times than players, however, even after having surgery in May, he’s not a lock for Opening Day 2019. Probable…not a lock.

My concerns deal with why the Angels continue to delay this procedure. Shohei Ohtani is a 24-year-old whom many have labeled as MLB’s next Babe Ruth. Why risk it? Why not get the procedure done immediately? Give him as much recovery time as possible before reinserting him into the 2019 lineup.

I’m just baffled with how teams handle injuries. The Angels should know better: they have a long list of pitchers who’ve just returned or are currently rehabilitating UCL injuries. I’ll often see pitchers return from a short stint on the disabled list just to immediately return after a short outing. That’s followed with a months-long absence. This comes during an era where managers are utilizing six-man rotations and giving hitters frequent off-days. Why the mixed messages? Take caution when healthy, take risks when unhealthy?

My point: The Dodgers—who’d just won last season’s National League pennant and reached Game 7 of the World Series—shut down their young superstar as early as May. The Angels—who are basically eliminated from playoff contention and have a manager who’s leaving after this season—keep playing their young superstar deep into September.

Why take this risk? This does nothing more than pad his stats and enhances highlight packages entering 2019. What if a pitcher decides it’s offensive to hit homers off opposing pitchers and throws a high-90s fastball at that elbow, e.g. Jose Urena? What if that elbow gets blasted next season while it continues rehabilitation following the surgery?

Milestone games against cellar dwellers are nice. You know what’s nicer? Having a 100-percent healthy Ohtani leading a 100-percent healthy Angels pitching staff once they’ve evolved into a playoff contender. Playing Ohtani with a bum elbow jeopardizes the chance of that. And the longer that takes, the less chance that Mike Trout would want to return.

Best wishes to Shohei Ohtani. Here’s to a speedy recovery.

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Joshua Huffman was born and collegiately edumacated in Middle Tennessee. That said, Huffman spent 13-plus years with the type of Northern Wisconsinites and Yoopers who turn Nashville bars into alcohol wastelands whenever NFC North teams travel to play the Tennessee Titans. This makes him the NoBro of SoBros. He has published content for Yahoo! Sports (via Contributor Network) and Titan Sized, among other venues. At SoBros, he’ll provide Daily Fantasy Sports suggestions and broad sports coverage. Follow him on Twitter.

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