Ohtani likely needs elbow surgery

Los Angeles Angels twoway star Shohei Ohtani has new damage in his pitching elbow and the team says Tommy John surgery has been recommended.

A couple hours before Ohtani hit a home run against Texas, the Angels said he had an MRI on Wednesday that revealed the problem in his right ulnar collateral ligament.

“There’s more questions out there right now than answers. We’ll take it one step at a time,” manager Mike Scioscia said. “There’s a lot of consulting that Shohei will do with doctors and just see what the best course of action is, and we’ll see where we are.”

The 24-year-old rookie was the Angels’ designated hitter for their series finale against the Rangers. He walked his first time up, singled and scored in his next at-bat and hit a solo homer in the fifth inning.

Asked whether Ohtani would stay in the lineup as a DH beyond Wednesday, Scioscia said: “We’ll see. That’s going to be determined from our medical department.”

Angels general manager Billy Eppler said Ohtani hasn’t formally decided to have Tommy John surgery. Eppler and Ohtani plan to have an in-depth conversation about his future Monday after the Angels return from their road trip.

The latest development has been dreaded by the Angels and Ohtani’s millions of fans since he was diagnosed with a sprained UCL following a start June 6. After receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection and an injection of stem cells, he was hitting again in early July, and he returned to the mound with his start Sunday at Houston.

Ohtani lasted only 2 1/3 innings in that start against the Astros.