Shohei Ohtani of the Los Angeles Angels has been ruled out for the season due to injury. The general consensus is that his time with the Angels is effectively over.

“Ohtani has been placed on the 10-day disabled list (IL) with a strained right oblique and will miss the remainder of the season,” the Angels announced on Sunday.

“Ohtani will undergo surgery to reconstruct his elbow ligaments in the near future and will have the opportunity to greet fans at the final home game of the season,” Angels President Perry Minasian said.

Ohtani, who left the first game of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds on Aug. 24 after complaining of elbow fatigue, was diagnosed with a torn ligament, but agent Nez Valero said on Aug. 5 that he “received mixed feedback from doctors. It’s not necessarily a Tommy John surgery,” he said. However, the specific type of surgery is not yet known.

“To be clear, Ohtani will be in some team’s lineup next year as a designated hitter,” Valero said. He didn’t give a timetable for his return as a pitcher, but emphasized that as a hitter, he could be ready for Opening Day next year.

This is the second time Ohtani has been placed on the IL during the season after reaching the majors, following an elbow ligament injury in June 2018. Ohtani underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in October 2018 and didn’t pitch the following year, but he returned in May as a hitter and played the rest of the season. He has never been on the IL.

The day before, Ohtani removed all of his belongings from his locker at Angel Stadium. “Ohtani, who appeared on the field yesterday ahead of a home game against the Detroit Tigers, worked out lightly and was seen by two officials packing up his locker and leaving the field about 2:40 before the start of the game,” ESPN reported.

Ohtani strained his right obliques in batting practice on May 5 against the Baltimore Orioles. Angels manager Phil Nevin later said, “He felt much better today. He’ll be able to play tomorrow,” and insisted the injury was minor, but he had been benched for 11 consecutive games the day before.

On the day he left his locker, MLB.com reported that “Ohtani’s obliques were found to be fine with only minor inflammation,” but he hasn’t played since. Many questions surround him, including the uncertainty of a torn elbow ligament.

Now that the season is officially over, local media outlets are reporting that we will no longer see Ohtani on the field in an Angels uniform. According to the New York Post, “Ohtani’s emptying of his locker could be a sign that his time with the Angels is over. The Orange County Register interpreted it as “when a player empties his locker before the season is over, it means he’s not playing anymore. 스포츠토토

Ohtani will hit free agency when the World Series concludes in early November. The Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, Chicago Cubs, New York Mets, and Boston Red Sox have all been mentioned as possible destinations for Ohtani, who is expected to sign a megaton contract worth more than $500 million, the largest in history.

Ohtani has the potential to become the first player to hit the free agency jackpot after a season-ending injury and surgery. No player has ever earned a $100 million-plus contract in free agency after spending the season on the DL and undergoing surgery. Ohtani will make history, too.

In 135 games as a hitter this season, Ohtani batted .304 (151-for-497) with 44 home runs, 95 RBI, 102 runs scored, 20 doubles, a .412 slugging percentage, a .654 on-base percentage, a 1.066 OPS, and 325 RBI. He led the AL in home runs, slugging percentage, and RBI.

On the mound, he started 23 games and pitched 132 innings, going 10-5 with a 3.14 ERA, 167 strikeouts, a 1.06 WHIP, and a 0.184 batting average. Because he didn’t complete the required number of innings, he ranks in the top 20 in wins and top 15 in strikeouts.