The league championship and World Series victory made this season a memorable year for Ohtani. His strong right arm bears the scars from surgeries he underwent in October 2018 and September 2023. The timing of the comeback. “By next May, he should be able to make a full recovery as a two-way player.” This strong endorsement comes from Teruhiko Nakagawa (70), an orthopedic doctor who has treated Shohei Ohtani (30) as the team doctor for the Nippon-Ham Fighters. With over 500 surgeries under his belt, Nakagawa is also a specialist in shoulder surgery and served as the president of the Japan Shoulder Society (the following comments are from Dr. Nakagawa). Fans around the world were stunned when Ohtani injured his left shoulder during a slide stealing second base in Game 2 of the World Series between the Dodgers and Yankees. It was initially thought to be a subluxation, but further examination revealed a tear in the labrum, and the team announced on November 5th that Ohtani underwent arthroscopic surgery immediately after the series ended. What remains concerning is the timing of his return. “It will take about three months for the labrum to reattach to the bone and regain strength, and it will take about six months for a full recovery. Since the surgery was done in early November, Ohtani should be able to begin batting practice during spring training in February next year. However, it will take more time for him to return to pitching. The fact that he had surgery quickly after the injury to achieve early repair was a good decision. Top athletes have a high recovery ability. Ohtani may make a full recovery earlier than expected.”