The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Tuesday afternoon that superstar Shohei Ohtani underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum. The surgery was performed in Los Angeles by Dr. Neal ElAttrache.
Ohtani injured his left shoulder on October 26 during Game 2 of the World Series while attempting to steal second base. According to the initial reports, he partially dislocated his shoulder in the seventh inning after a failed attempt, forcing him to leave the game. Though initially concerning, he continued to participate in the series with careful monitoring of his condition. The injury, while painful, did not immediately prevent him from playing in subsequent games.
According to the press statement, Ohtani is expected to fully be ready for Spring Training. There was no mention if the surgery will affect his attempt to come back as a two-way player in 2025.
Ohtani was playing catch intermittently throughout the season and finally threw off a mound for the first time in late August. He was periodically seen throwing bullpen sessions in the days leading up to the playoffs. Although the surgery isn’t directly related to his throwing arm, we can assume the Dodgers will tread lightly with his recovery process.
Ohtani went 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA in 23 starts for the Angels in 2023 before sustaining an elbow injury that would eventually require season-ending surgery. The 2023 surgery was his second major elbow surgery that cost him a season on the mound. He previously had UCL surgery in 2018 and did not pitch during the 2019 season.
The 6-foot-4, 30-year-old Japan native is coming off an historic, record-setting season where he became the first player in Major League history with at least 50 home runs (54) and 50 stolen bases (59). In addition to homers, Ohtani led the National League in on-base percentage (.390), slugging percentage (.646), OPS (1.036), total bases (411), runs (134), RBI (130), plate appearances (731) and wins above replacement (9.2 Baseball-Reference, 9.1 Fangraphs).
(Joe Jareck contributed to the information furnished in this report)