Shohei Ohtani underwent shoulder surgery Tuesday to repair a labrum tear he sustained during the World Series, the Los Angeles Dodgers announced, adding that they expect him to be ready for spring training.
Ohtani suffered what the Dodgers initially described as a subluxation — or a slight dislocation — of his left shoulder on an attempted steal of second base in Game 2 of the World Series on Oct. 26, then played the next three games at Yankee Stadium in noticeable pain, wincing after some of his swings and recording just one hit in 11 at-bats while the Dodgers clinched the championship.
Before the injury, the Dodgers were hoping Ohtani could restart his throwing program earlier than usual this offseason in anticipation of him returning to a two-way role in 2025. It is unclear how this surgery, performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in L.A., might impact the timing of that. But it was performed on his non-throwing shoulder.
Ohtani was throwing his regularly scheduled bullpen sessions, the last step in his rehabilitation from a second major elbow surgery, leading up to the time when he was injured.
The last time the Dodgers won the World Series, in 2020, Cody Bellinger suffered a similar injury while celebrating with Enrique Hernandez and underwent labrum surgery in November. Bellinger was in the lineup for Opening Day in 2021, though his offensive numbers dipped dramatically over the next two seasons.
However, Bellinger injured his right shoulder, which is his lead shoulder when hitting. Ohtani injured his back shoulder, which is considered to be less of an issue in the batter’s box.
