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Good news on the Ohtani front: he will not need Tommy John surgery, according to General Manager Billy Eppler.
Billy Eppler says doctors have not told him that Shohei Ohtani will need any surgery currently #Angels
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) June 28, 2018
The PRP injection is working and he will be taking batting practice very soon, hopefully returning to game action in the near future.
Shohei Ohtani underwent MRI this morning, doctors noted improvement to ligament and have cleared him to begin hitting immediately #Angels
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) June 28, 2018
Shohei Ohtani will begin taking batting practice immediately but will be day-to-day until further assessment #Angels
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) June 28, 2018
Shohei Ohtani will go through standard batting practice and will be assessed on a day-to-day progress, but could see live pitching as early as this weekend pending progress #Angels
— Taylor Blake Ward (@TaylorBlakeWard) June 28, 2018
He will be reevaluated in approximately three weeks’ time.
Eppler said Ohtani will not play in minor league rehab games. He will get ready to hit in "private" settings, like simulated games. Since he's a DH, they don't need regular games, Eppler said.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) June 28, 2018
Celebrate responsibly, Angels fans.
Shohei Ohtani will not, barring complications (knocking on all the wood), need Tommy John Surgery and will return to in-game action this season. He will not miss the 2019 season as it stands.