Report: Angels star rookie Shohei Ohtani will need Tommy John surgery

Shohei Ohtani.
(Image credit: Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

Los Angeles Angels rookie Shohei Ohtani, who has earned comparisons to Babe Ruth due to his domination on the field as both a starting pitcher and a designated hitter, will reportedly need Tommy John surgery, ESPN's Pedro Gomez reported Monday. The surgery, which replaces a player's ulnar collateral ligament in their elbow with a tendon from the opposite arm or a leg, would end Ohtani's breathtaking first season prematurely.

"The earliest we might see him, should he have Tommy John surgery, would be the 2020 season," Gomez said on SportsCenter.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.