Shohei Ohtani underwent shoulder surgery Tuesday to repair a labrum tear 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 slight dislocation -- of his left shoulder on an attempted steal of second base in Game 2 of the World Series on Oct. 26. He 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 Los Angeles 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 Los Angeles, might impact the timing of that, but it was done on Ohtani's 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 that November. Bellinger was in the lineup for Opening Day in 2021, though his offensive numbers dropped dramatically over the next two seasons.
However, Bellinger injured his right shoulder, which he leads with when hitting. Ohtani injured his back shoulder, considered to be less of an issue in the batter's box.
