Shohei Ohtani Injury Update: Dodgers star on track for speedy recovery after 'remarkable' Tommy John surgery

Shohei Ohtani is giving the Los Angeles Dodgers fans some great moments in the Cactus League. But it could be more thrilling if Ohtani returns to the mound. In September he underwent a second Tommy John Surgery for his elbow injury, which is expected to restrict him from pitching in the big leagues until 2025.

Even so, the Dodgers' head physician, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who conducted both TJ procedures in 2018 and 2023, nodded to the possibility that Ohtani may soon be back to his two-way playing style. If he follows the program, that return could be as early as late September, although that won't be in a game for the Dodgers.

"It just so happens that, if he goes along with the throwing program as we have it scheduled, he'll be throwing his first simulated game the last week of September," ElAttrache told the Associated Press.

The regular season ends on Sept. 29. Before Ohtani can pitch in a game, he'll need to build up his arm after not throwing a baseball for a year and get stretched out. So, it's unlikely he'd pitch this season, even if the Dodgers make a deep playoff run. He's a $700 million investment, after all.

According to Fox Sports, Ohtani's elbow operation was a hybrid procedure. The technique was developed by Texas Rangers head physician Dr. Keith Meister. It involves an internal brace to repair the torn ligament.

“He and I are both doing the same thing, same philosophy, in adding braided suture to repair and enhance the existing torn ligament as well as putting in the new graft," ElAttrache said.

The tentative timeline of Ohtani’s return will be marked with the 50th Anniversary of TJ surgery. ElAttrache reckons it'll be a great time to recognize the medical treatment that helped the MLB’s most expensive player to return to the league twice.

“Fifty years after the first Tommy John and 34 years after I learned how to do the operation, now a guy's having his second operation and he's not only expected to come back to (his) previous level of performance, it just so happens that he's being paid to be the best player in the history of baseball,” he told the AP.

“It's remarkable the confidence that the baseball world has in this procedure at this point. And, I think, rightly so."

Shohei Ohtani is leading the Dodgers from the front

In the Cactus League, Shohei Ohtani has played seven games. The Dodgers' only loss in those appearances came against his former team, Los Angeles Angels. Ohtani has 11 hits, which resulted in nine RBIs, including two home runs with a .606 batting average.

Despite not being on the mound, Ohtani is contributing as a designated hitter.

Ohtani has two MVP titles, with three All-Star nods and two Silver Slugger awards. The only achievement he’s still missing is a World Series title. Ohtani has yet to participate in a postseason since his MLB debut in 2018, and with the Dodgers, he may achieve both his goals in the same year.

The Dodgers will play next in an exhibition game against the Kiwoom Heroes of the KBO on Saturday at Gocheok Sky Dome, South Korea.

New Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto is slated to start the first game of the Seoul Series with the San Diego Padres, which will be the first two games of the MLB season, on March 20-21.