SAN ANTONIO, Texas — With the Los Angeles Dodgers’ quest for a World Series title complete, manager Dave Roberts let it be known what his franchise star, Shohei Ohtani, was dealing with.
“He was playing with one arm in the postseason,” Roberts said. “So most guys would probably tap out, but he was going to not be denied at playing and posting and being in the lineup.”
Ohtani, it turns out, had been playing through a torn labrum in his left (non-throwing) shoulder, which he suffered when he partially dislocated it attempting to steal second base in the seventh inning of Game 2 of the World Series against the New York Yankees. Roberts initially said testing and scans showed no structural damage in the area. Ohtani said at the time he was hopeful to avoid surgery but would discuss the possibility with doctors.
Ohtani underwent arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday to repair the issue. Dr. Neal ElAttrache performed the procedure. The Dodgers said Ohtani is expected to be ready for the start of spring training.
What it means for the two-way star’s immediate future remains unclear. Ohtani was building up as a pitcher throughout October as he made his way back from a second major elbow ligament reconstruction but never progressed to the point of facing hitters. While this surgery addressed a different arm altogether, it’s uncertain if it will alter Ohtani’s projected return as a pitcher.
The Dodgers have recent history with this kind of rehab for a hitter. Cody Bellinger dislocated his right shoulder celebrating a go-ahead home run in the 2020 National League Championship Series, played through the World Series and underwent surgery for a torn labrum on Nov. 17. He was in the Dodgers’ Opening Day lineup, but struggled that season (and the following one) as he worked to regain strength in the shoulder. Unlike Ohtani, Bellinger’s torn labrum was in his lead shoulder, which generates more of the force in the swing.
Ohtani was in obvious discomfort over the final games of the World Series, going 1-for-11 after the injury, and clung his left arm to his jersey while on the basepaths to ensure he wouldn’t do further damage to the shoulder.
It was a dream ending nonetheless for Ohtani and the Dodgers in the first year of his record-setting 10-year, $700 million contract. Ohtani’s encore performance as a Dodger was already going to be the subject of great intrigue, from his potential return to the mound in his home country of Japan (where the Dodgers open the 2025 season in Tokyo against the Chicago Cubs) to his quest to help the Dodgers become the first repeat World Series winners since the 1998-2000 Yankees.
It was also going to be a spectacle to see how Ohtani would follow up one of the most eye-popping single-season individual offensive performances in baseball history, when he became the first player with more than 50 home runs (he finished with 54) and 50 stolen bases (he swiped 59) in a single season.
Now, he’ll have another shoulder surgery rehabilitation thrown into the mix.
(Photo of Shohei Ohtani: Alex Slitz / Getty Images)
