Shohei Ohtani continues to rehab from elbow surgery in an attempt to return to the pitcher’s mound with that likely happening at some point in May. Meanwhile, he also had surgery on his non-throwing shoulder in the offseason after injuring it during the World Series.
The three-time MVP has shown a flair for the dramatic throughout his career, so anyone surprised at him hitting a home run in his first spring training at-bat following shoulder surgery must’ve been asleep for years. Here it is, a nice opposite-field shot on a 3-2 count:
That was not Ohtani’s first swing of the spring, as he whiffed on a curve from Yusei Kikuchi earlier in the at-bat. Still, as he so often does, Ohtani ended up on top.
Remember, last year he hit a home run in his first spring at-bat, too.
His exploits aren’t relegated to meaningless games, of course. He now has a World Series ring in addition to those three MVPs. Last year, he hit .310/.390/.646 (190 OPS+) with 38 doubles, seven triples, 54 home runs, 130 RBI, 134 runs, 59 steals and 9.2 WAR as a full-time designated hitter.
The only questions on Ohtani heading into the season were how he’d come back from the shoulder surgery and when he’d be able to return to the mound in the regular season. It already looks like any shoulder questions can be put to bed.
