“Coming back from two Tommy John surgeries is unprecedented.”
Aside from Shohei Ohtani’s (Los Angeles Angels) pitching season-ending injury and upcoming free agency, it’s clear that a major inflection point in Ohtani’s baseball career has been reached. While the Angels have yet to make an official announcement, American media outlets believe that Ohtani will eventually undergo Tommy John surgery. Typically, injuries to the ulnar collateral ligament lead to Tommy John surgery.메이저놀이터
The problem is that Ohtani had one Tommy John surgery after the 2018 season. Medical technology and rehabilitation techniques have improved so much that one Tommy John surgery is not a problem for a successful career. A second Tommy John surgery would be considered a gamble on his baseball career, even for a pitcher like Ohtani.
FOX Sports published an article on Aug. 25 that summarized a panel discussion about Ohtani’s elbow injury. Ben Verlander said, “Coming back from two Tommy John surgeries is almost unheard of. Walker Buehler (LA Dodgers) is on the verge of returning from his second.”
“Ryu Hyun-jin recently came back from his second surgery and has looked fantastic so far. There are several starters who have done that.” In fact, Ryu had his first Tommy John surgery while at Dongsan High School in Incheon, and his second in June of last year. In between, he had arthroscopic surgery on his shoulder in 2015, making him an “icon of rehabilitation and resurgence.
The consensus seems to be that Ryu has successfully landed on his feet, with his recent two-game winning streak. But we need to take a larger sample size. Many argue that we should at least wait to see how he performs over the course of the season. And the stance of teams in the free agent market will reveal a lot about how they feel about Ryu. Regardless, Ryu is increasing his chances of a comeback.
In a way, Ryu, who signed a four-year, $80 million (10.61 billion won) contract, can serve as a guide and mirror for Ohtani. He’s had Tommy John surgery before, so he’ll have the know-how to rehabilitate. However, if Ohtani does not give up on Idoryu in the future, he will need to rebuild after two Tommy John surgeries like Ryu did. In other words, he should follow Ryu’s path. There are ways to manage it through treatment, but it doesn’t seem likely.
Another FOX Sports panelist, Rowan Kavner, was blunt. “It took Ohtani three years to find MVP form after his first Tommy John surgery. There are no guarantees of success after one Tommy John surgery, let alone two.”
In the end, the choice is his, and the responsibility is his. The consequences could change the course of Major League Baseball history. Furthermore, FOX Sports does not believe that the injury will increase the Angels’ chances of retaining Ohtani as a free agent.