Shohei Ohtani has a tear in the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow and will not pitch again this season.
Ohtani exited his start in Game 1 of a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds earlier Wednesday after recording just four outs and throwing only 26 pitches. Ohtani nonetheless insisted on serving as the designated hitter in Game 2, ultimately going 1-for-5 in the Angels\' 7-3 loss.
Ohtani already underwent on his right elbow in October 2018 and the procedure could be repeated.
Ohtani will be a free agent this offseason and many anticipated a contract that approaches $500 million prior to his injury.
Ohtani, who hit his major league-leading 44th home run moments before exiting his start, is slashing .304/.405/.664 this season but also boasts a 3.14 ERA with 167 strikeouts in 132 innings. His 8.7 FanGraphs wins above replacement easily leads the majors.