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Shohei Ohtani is finished pitching for the year, but that doesn't mean he's finished for the year.
The Los Angeles Angels' two-way star will continue playing as a designated hitter while he and the Angels seek additional treatment options for his UCL tear, according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register. That includes this weekend's series against the New York Mets after the Angels' day off Thursday.
Ohtani exited his start Wednesday due to what the team called arm fatigue, and his torn UCL diagnosis was announced later that night. Ohtani didn't remain in that game as a designated hitter, but he did hit in the second leg of the day's doubleheader.
He's now seeking second opinions regarding Tommy John surgery.
So far, the situation is similar to how the Angels handled Ohtani's previous major UCL injury during his rookie MLB year in 2018. After being recommended to undergo Tommy John surgery in early September of that season, Ohtani continued to play as a full-time DH for the rest of the season before going under the knife on Oct. 1.
Following surgery, Ohtani didn't pitch at all in 2019 and returned to the mound in 2020.
A second Tommy John surgery is almost always more serious than the first, with a rehab timetable usually spanning more than a year. The odds of Ohtani pitching in 2024 appear to be slim, with his future as a pitcher now in question at the most financially inconvenient time possible.
What's next for Shohei Ohtani?
If Ohtani's UCL is indeed torn, it seems inconceivable that he'll get a recommendation that doesn't include Tommy John surgery. At that point, he and the Angels can decide if continuing to hit in a failed season — the Angels are 61-67 and 10.5 games out of a wild-card spot — is worth it.
Ohtani is set to enter free agency this offseason and will likely shatter the record for MLB's richest contract, currently held by Angels teammate Mike Trout and his 12-year, $426.5 million deal. Ohtani has enough value as a hitter that he could still match that contract, but teams might be apprehensive about paying him like a true two-way superstar.
Continuing to hit might come with injury risk, but Ohtani is apparently fine with that. He has already all but clinched a second AL MVP award, as his production on the mound and in the batter's box in four-and-a-half months has given him 8.6 FanGraphs WAR, well ahead of second-place Bobby Witt Jr. and his 5.1 mark.
It's unclear, once Ohtani returns as a pitcher, for which team he will be pitching, how much money he will be making and, most importantly, how effective he will be. The list of pitchers who have returned from a second Tommy John surgery and looked like themselves is short, but Ohtani has done nothing but show himself to be an exception to rules since he joined Major League Baseball.
Daniel Weinman was crowned winner of the 2023 World Series of Poker (WSOP) Main Event on Monday, taking home a record breaking $12.1 million in winnings. Weinman had to outlast the other 10,043 entrants to take home the prize and get his hands on his share of live poker’s largest ever prize pool – a staggering $93,399,900. As well as taking home the prize money, 35-year-old Weinman also got his hands on the WSOP Main Event bracelet. The huge bracelet contains 500 grams of 10-karat yellow gold, as well as 2,352 various precious gemstones.
Daniel Weinman won the World Series of Poker's main event world championship on Monday in Las Vegas, earning $12.1 million along the way. Playing in the tournament for a 16th year, Weinman was tops in a deep pool of 10,043 players vying for $93.39 million. His victory came after just 164 hands at the final table. "I was honestly on the fence about even coming back and playing this tournament," the 35-year-old Atlanta native told reporters afterward. Weinman's final table featured Jan-Peter Jachtmann, who landed in fourth place and took home $3 million, as well as Toby Lewis, who finished seventh and secured $1.42 million. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the main event's entry pool far outpaced the previous record of 8,773 set in 2006. "I've always kind of felt that poker was kind of going in a dying direction, but to see the numbers at the World Series this year has been incredible," Weinman said. "And to win this main event, it doesn't feel real. I mean, [there's] so much luck in a poker tournament. I thought I played very well." Steven Jones finished second, securing $6.5 million. And Adam Walton settled for third and a $4 million prize.
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