Los Angeles Angels superstar Shohei Ohtani has underwent successful elbow injury and is now on his road to recovery, though it will take some time before he's able to pitch again.

Ohtani confirmed the success of the procedure on Instagram, noting that he went through it on Tuesday morning. While he shared his regret to not finish the season with the Angels, he promised  to work hard in order to quickly return to the field at full health.

“I had a procedure done on my elbow earlier this morning and everything went very well. Thank you very much for everyone’s prayers and kind words,” Ohtani wrote. “It was very unfortunate that I couldn’t finish out the year on the field, but I will be rooting on the boys until the end. I will work as hard as I can and do my best to come back on the diamond stronger than ever.”

Ohtani's agent, Nez Balelo, also released a statement on the procedure Ohtani underwent  (via Chelsea Janes of Washington Post). While it was not specified exactly what type of surgery the Japanese superstar got, the expectation is that he'll be able to hit at the start of the 2024 season and pitch again by 2025.

“Shohei had his procedure this morning at Kerlan & Jobe Orthopedic Clinic in Los Angeles. The final decision and type of procedure was made with a heavy emphasis on the big picture. Shohei wanted to make sure the direction taken gave him every opportunity to hit and pitch for many years to come,” Balelo stated.

Shohei Ohtani's agent also shared the comments by Dr. Neal ElAttrache, who performed the procedure. According to Dr. ElAttrache, the surgery included “adding viable tissue” to keep his elbow healthy long-term.

“The ultimate plan after deliberation with Shohei, was to repair the issue at hand and to reinforce the healthy ligament in place while adding viable tissue for the longevity of the elbow. I expect full recovery and he'll be ready to hit without any restrictions come opening day of 2024 and do both (Hit & Pitch) come 2025,” Dr.ElAttrache said.

For now, the MLB world can only wait patiently for Ohtani as he recovers.

Shohei Ohtani's injury, MLB free agency

Shohei Ohtani's future with the Angels has been a major talking point over the last few days after the dual-threat star surprisingly cleared his locker. Many deemed it as a move that signals the end of his tenure with the team since he's going to be a free agent in the offseason.

However, it was later clarified that Ohtani simply cleared his locker in order to focus on his surgery for his torn UCL. Ohtani is also dealing with an oblique injury, and after a recent test, some irritation on the said injury was found. That effectively ended Ohtani's season, which is why he decided to just get his surgery earlier. That would also give him more time to recover.

As for his future, it's clear that Ohtani is not yet thinking about that. He's expected to remain with the team throughout.

The 29-year-old is going to be the biggest fish in the free agent pool this 2023 offseason, though, so several teams are expected to lure him away from the Angels. Besides, the LA franchise is widely expected to lose in its bid to retain Ohtani after the lack of success they had with him and Mike Trout.

The New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers and Boston Red Sox, among many  others, have been mentioned as potential landing spots for Ohtani. He is expected to command $500 million or more in free agency, so anyone who wants his services will have to really break the bank.

It remains to be seen if his latest injury timeline will have any impact on the deal that he could get, but considering what Ohtani has proven so far, it likely won't have much of an impact. This is what Jim Bowden of The Athletic reported earlier in September amid Ohtani's elbow injury and prior to his surgery:

“A few execs from larger markets opined that Ohtani is such a special talent and unique case that it will take half-a-billion dollars to land him even if he can’t be that pitcher again. They mentioned that he is going to be by far the best-available player on the market this winter and is the face of Major League Baseball and is a star whose global appeal will add significant financial value to his next franchise, plus the likelihood that he can fully recover from the injury.”

Sure enough, it looks like it's going to be an interesting offseason for Ohtani.