Earlier this week, the Los Angeles Angels announced that Shohei Ohtani will not pitch for the remainder of the season after suffering a torn UCL. It's unclear if Ohtani will require his second Tommy John surgery, but his unique brilliance as a two-way player has allowed him to continue serving as the Angels' designated hitter while he seeks additional medical opinions.
"I think it's a testament to him and him and who he is," Angels manager Phil Nevin told reporters, including Abbey Mastracco of the New York Daily News. "And what he's meant not only to the clubhouse and to me, but what he's meant to the game. He knows there is a lot of importance left."
Ohtani, 29, has not talked to the media since learning about his torn UCL. He is, of course, on the cusp of reaching free agency. League insiders who spoke to CBS Sports earlier in the year expected him to fetch a record-breaking contract worth at least $500 million. CBS Sports followed up with those same insiders after they learned about Ohtani's UCL injury, and they expressed uncertainty about how much the news would deflate his contract. Ohtani seems certain to remain in demand. After all, he hadn't just amassed a 3.14 ERA (144 ERA+) and a 3.04 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 23 starts -- as a batter, he's hit .305/.408/.665 (184 OPS+) with 44 home runs and 91 RBI.
It's perhaps worth noting that Ohtani had departed several starts prematurely because of this and that issue in the lead-up to his torn UCL. More recently, he'd even had a start pushed back because of what was described as fatigue. Even so, Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters on Friday that Ohtani had not undergone imaging prior to this week: "No, there was no arm issue -- just fatigue, tired, cramping, dehydration." Minasian clarified on Saturday that the Angels had offered Ohtani the chance to undergo imaging beforehand, but that Ohtani and his agent had declined on the grounds that they didn't feel a finger cramp necessitated it, according to Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post.
We here at CBS Sports figured that it might be worthwhile to put together a timeline of Ohtani's physical issues throughout the summer, just to provide greater context. Let's get to it.
June 27: Ohtani makes history in a start against the White Sox. He becomes the first American League pitcher since the 1960s to homer twice while striking out 10 batters. He leaves in the sixth inning because of a cracked fingernail. "It was a small crack before the game and gradually got worse," he tells reporters.
July 4: Ohtani, who receives an extra day of rest so he can fully recover from his cracked nail, records his worst start of the season as determined by Bill James' Game Score metric. He surrenders five runs on seven hits (two home runs) and four walks in five innings against the Padres. He departs after developing a blister on his middle finger that the Angels theorize was connected to the aforementioned cracked nail, and he rules himself out from pitching in the July 11 All-Star Game. "Because of where it was cracked, it might have just irritated the skin on the side of the finger," Nevin says.
July 14: Ohtani leaves a third consecutive start with finger-related issues. This time, he exits after issuing a leadoff walk in the sixth inning. Ohtani admits to being "frustrated" after the game. He also says that it's "hard to tell" how significant the injury is, and that he's unsure when he'll next pitch.
July 21: Ohtani makes his first start since, on six days' rest. He surrenders five runs over 6 1/3 innings against the Pirates.
July 27: Ohtani starts the first game of a doubleheader against the Tigers, delivering a one-hit shutout. He plays in the second game as well, homering twice but seemingly tweaks something in his back that causes his removal in the seventh inning. The Angels diagnose the issue as "cramping."
July 28: Ohtani is removed in the ninth inning because of more cramps. "We'll evaluate it tomorrow when he gets up," Nevin tells reporters. "It's just cramping right now. It's kind of in both legs. He's done a lot of work the last two days and wasn't able to go."
July 29: Ohtani rejoins the lineup.
Aug. 3: Ohtani makes his first start since leaving consecutive games with cramps. He departs after four innings and 59 pitches because of -- you guessed it -- more cramps. This time, the cramps are located in his hand and fingers. Ohtani stays in the game as the Angels' DH.
Aug. 4: The Los Angeles Times publishes an article in which Ohtani blames his recent cramps on fatigue. He also explains why he continued to bat despite having left as a starting pitcher the previous day. "I judged the team's chances of winning would be higher if I was out there," Ohtani says.
Aug. 13: The Angels announce they'll skip Ohtani the next time through the rotation as he deals with fatigue issues. At the time, CBS Sports notes: "Ohtani has appeared in 116 of the Angels' 118 games to date, including starting as a pitcher in 22 of those contests. He hasn't received a day off since early May. He hasn't been lifted from a game before its completion since July 28 -- and even then he was removed in the ninth inning."
Aug. 23: Ohtani returns to the rotation for his first start in 13 days in the first game of a doubleheader versus the Reds. He shows noticeably reduced velocity and leaves the game, as both a pitcher and a hitter, in the second inning with what's initially described as "arm fatigue." Ohtani returns to the Angels lineup as a DH for the second game. The Angels later reveal that Ohtani has suffered a torn UCL, and that he won't pitch the remainder of the season.
