Tommy John surgery for Ohtani

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

A couple of hours before Ohtani hit a homer against Texas, the Angels said he had an MRI on Wednesday in Texas that revealed the problem in his 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.”

Ohtani had been scheduled to throw a light bullpen session Wednesday, but never did after reporting that his elbow was sore. The medical staff then decided that he should get the new MRI.

The 24-year-old rookie was still in the Angels’ lineup as the designated hitter for their series finale against the Rangers. Asked whether Ohtani would stay in the lineup as a DH after this game, Scioscia said: “We’ll see. That’s going to be determined from our medical department.”

In 10 starts on the mound, the right-hander was 4-2 with a 3.31 ERA. He struck out 63 with 22 walks in 51 2⁄3innings.

Ohtani hit his 16th homer Tuesday night, his first against a left-hander in the big leagues. He had already joined Babe Ruth as the only players ever to hit 15 homers and pitch 50 innings in a season.