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Dec 11, 2023

Shohei Ohtani Declined Imaging on Elbow After Cramps Before UCL Injury, GM Says

Shohei Ohtani turned down imaging on his injured arm prior to the diagnosis that ended his pitching season, Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters Saturday. Ohtani tore the

Shohei Ohtani turned down imaging on his injured arm prior to the diagnosis that ended his pitching season, Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters Saturday.

Ohtani tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow during a Wednesday start against the Cincinnati Reds.

The injury came after Ohtani and his agent Nez Balelo declined imaging after Ohtani left an August 3 start against the Seattle Mariners due to cramping in his right hand, Minasian said.

"I've received a lot of inquiries about the imaging thing, and yes, the only time we got imaging was after the injury," Minasian said, per MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. "With that being said, the imaging was offered earlier in the year, and him and his representation turned it down. And I understand why. It was a cramp in his finger, and they didn't believe it warranted imaging. So that's where that is."

Both Minasian and Angels manager Phil Nevin said it is generally the players' decision as to whether imaging is needed.

"Me, personally, I have zero regrets," Minasian said, per the Associated Press. "There's injuries that happen in baseball. This is an unfortunate one. It's obviously tough for us, tough for him and tough for the game."

Ohtani has remained in Angels' batting lineup since the injury, but Minasian said Wednesday he will not pitch again in 2023.

Before his fateful outing against the Reds, Ohtani had skipped a scheduled start on August 13 due to fatigue.

Minasian said the pitcher had been dealing with "dehydration and cramps" at the time of the missed outing, but that Ohtani "felt good" prior to the start against the Reds.

"He was ready to pitch," Minasian said. "When he says that, especially him because he knows himself as well as anybody, there's nobody I believe more when he says he's ready to go."

During that start against the Reds was "when it happened," Minasian said about the torn UCL. Ohtani exited the outing after the second inning.

This is the second major elbow injury of Ohtani's career. After being named Rookie of the Year during his first MLB season, Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2018 that kept him from the mound from nearly the entirety of the next two seasons.

Minasian told reporters this injury was to a different part of the elbow and produced different symptoms than the one the pitcher suffered in 2018.

Ohtani and the Angels have not yet decided if he will undergo another Tommy John surgery, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. If he does, the recovery time is likely to span at least a year.