Joe Maddon is one of only a few men who has had the pleasure of managing Shohei Ohtani.
Maddon managed the Los Angeles Angels from 2020-22 and bore witness to two of the greatest seasons of Ohtani’s career.
Ohtani earned American League MVP honors in 2021.
Recently, it was learned that Ohtani had a torn UCL in his right elbow and would not pitch again this season.
Injuries such as this usually result in Tommy John surgery, which Ohtani has had before.
On Tuesday, Maddon caught up with both Jayson Stark and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic and discussed what may lie ahead for the two-way superstar.
“Whatever the workload is to get back he’ll do it.”
New Starkville:
Joe Maddon joins me & @Ken_Rosenthal with great insights on Ohtani
Plus Ken & I talk robot umps
Listen free!
Apple: https://t.co/hqEM4AQn01
Spotify: https://t.co/vCOP1CpsP1 pic.twitter.com/mOn4eqQVyH— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) August 29, 2023
Maddon said that if any player can bounce back from a setback such as this, Ohtani would be the one.
He also pointed out something important, that the severity of the UCL tear is not yet known.
However, Maddon knows enough about the two-way star and his work ethic and that he’ll put in the work to try and recover and return to his old form.
The former Halos manager stated that Ohtani is simply a different player than most and regardless of the workload to return, he’ll do what needs to be done.
He predicted that Ohtani will follow a very focused rehab program and will do everything he can to get back in shape to both pitch and hit again.
Maddon referred to him as a “textbook rehabber,” reminding everybody that no workload will be too great for Ohtani to manage as he recovers.
NEXT: MLB Insider Weighs In On Shohei Ohtani's Injury
