Ohtani facing Tommy John surgery

ARLINGTON, Texas — Angels two-way star Shohei Ohtani has new damage in his pitching elbow and the team says Tommy John surgery has been recommended.

The Angels said Ohtani had an MRI on Wednesday in Texas that revealed the problem in his right ulnar collateral ligament.

“There’s more questions 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.”

Then just hours after the ominous news, the 24-year-old rookie hit a pair of home runs as the designated hitter in the Angels’ X-X victory over the Rangers.

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.

“We committed to each other in this process, and we will get through it together as a team,” Eppler said. “But I do feel disappointment for the people in that clubhouse, and primarily Shohei.”

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, Ohtani was hitting again in early July, and he returned to the mound with his start Sunday at Houston.

Ohtani lasted only 21⁄3 innings in that start against the Astros, and he had a drastic drop in velocity during the game.