The Los Angeles Dodgers announced on Tuesday evening that Shohei Ohtani underwent successful arthroscopic surgery to repair a torn labrum in his left shoulder. The tear was the result of a shoulder dislocation that he suffered during the Dodgers’ World Series win over the New York Yankees.
Ohtani is expected to be ready for spring training.
While that is certainly good news for the Dodgers, it still continues what has been a rough year for Ohtani on the injury front.
He did not pitch at all during the 2024 season after undergoing his second Tommy John surgery on his pitching arm, and now he has to recover from this surgery.
Ohtani had another monster season at the plate, leading the National League with a 1.036 OPS, 54 home runs and 130 RBI. He also became the first player to ever record a 50-50 season with at least 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases. (He stole 59 bases, the second most in the league.)
The important thing is Ohtani isn’t expected to miss any real time next season. The question will be whether or not he is 100% healthy when he actually gets back on the field and starts playing. There is always the possibility that he needs additional time to recover and get back to his normal level after another major surgery. It might result in a less dominant or slower start for the 2025 season.
He is expected to be back on the pitcher’s mound after missing this season. When healthy, Ohtani is the best two-way baseball player the sport has seen since the days of Babe Ruth, and there is argument to be made that Ohtani does both things better. He is not only one of the best hitters in the league, he is also one of the best pitchers. The Dodgers won the World Series without him throwing a single pitch, which should certainly be good news for their title defense next season.