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Angels DH Shohei Ohtani out for the season, needs left knee operation

My willingness to watch the rest of the season has decreased even further.

Cleveland Indians v Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images

Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Angels wunderkind, has been ruled out for the rest of the 2019 baseball season. He is set to have surgery on his left knee.

The decision comes after a second half in which Ohtani’s power has been sapped, and it has been pointed out that he’s not running hard on foul balls.

This is not to say he hasn’t been trying his hardest. Ohtani has beaten out multiple infield singles recently, often reaching the coveted Statcast “elite” speed of 30 ft/sec.

There is a clear difference between Shohei Ohtani’s first half and second half, and now we may know the reason why.

(The knee operation can be seen as a good thing because it shows that Shohei is legitimate at the plate but in the second half only took a step back because of the injury. The alternative, of course, is that pitchers adjusted and he was regressing to his true talent level. This is probably not the case.)

Quite honestly, the fact that Ohtani’s knee has been bothering him since early 2019 shows his heart, dedication, and willingness to commit to this team. I love it.

And he still should be on pace to pitch early next season.

All’s well that end’s well, we can hope!