Ohtani’s road to recovery: Dodgers star undergoes surgery, expected to be ready for…

Shohei Ohtani is now a World Series champion. However, it likely took a lot of pain for the Dodgers’ superstar to add the feat to his growing baseball resume.

It was revealed on Tuesday that Ohtani was dealing with a torn labrum in his left shoulder after dislocating the shoulder in Game 2 of the World Series against the Yankees. Ohtani, who had been limited to hitting throughout the 2024 season as he also recovered from Tommy John surgery in his right arm, continued to play through the rest of Los Angeles’ run to the title. 

There’s no doubting the multi-talented star’s toughness. Ohtani was playing through multiple serious injuries by the end of the 2024 season yet still came out on top with a World Series ring. 

Here’s what to know about Ohtani’s injury sustained in the World Series, including the latest updates on his status heading into the offseason, the details on the usual timeline for torn labrum recoveries and Ohtani’s numbers in the World Series while playing through injuries. 

Shohei Ohtani injury update

The Dodgers shared on Tuesday that Ohtani “underwent successful arthroscopic surgery to repair a labrum tear that resulted from a left shoulder dislocation Oct. 26,” adding that the two-way star is expected to be ready for 2025 Spring Training. The surgery was performed in Los Angeles.

In Game 2 of the World Series, Ohtani remained on the ground in some pain after being thrown out attempting to steal second base. 

While he missed the rest of Game 2 as the Dodgers claimed a 2-0 series advantage, Ohtani returned for Game 3 in New York wearing a shoulder brace while in the dugout.

The Dodgers’ designated hitter played through the rest of the series as Los Angeles claimed its eighth World Series title in franchise history, though he wasn’t the same dominant hitter in the Fall Classic. There hadn’t been confirmation of the full extent of Ohtani’s shoulder injury until now, and the torn labrum is yet another significant injury in his career.

Among the injuries Ohtani dealt with in his time with the Angels was a Grade 2 UCL sprain in his rookie season, which later required Tommy John surgery after further damage to his pitching elbow. In 2019, his season ended early due to bipartite patella. In 2020, soon after his return to the mound, Ohtani was shut down from pitching due to a flexor strain in his right elbow. 

Ohtani largely stayed healthy into the 2023 season, dominating as both a pitcher and hitter along the way. However, he underwent another Tommy John surgery after the 2023 season, which once again kept him off the mound for the entire 2024 season after signing with the Dodgers.

Ohtani’s pitching elbow is the opposite arm of his torn labrum suffered in the World Series, but he’s expected to recover from both injuries for the 2025 season. When he returns to the mound is a different question, however. The Los Angeles’ Times’ Jack Harris reported that Ohtani’s injury could push back his offseason pitching timeline. That would make a return to the hill come opening day highly unlikely.