In September of his rookie season in Major League Baseball, Shohei Ohtani suffered a torn ligament in his right elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery.

This became a major turning point—one that forced him to confront whether he should continue as a two-way player.

After such surgery, pitchers are typically unable to throw for at least a year and a half.
However, in Ohtani’s case, he could still hit, meaning he could remain in the lineup as a batter.

At that time, although he had hit 22 home runs, won 4 games, and earned Rookie of the Year honors, he had not yet fully established himself as a dominant hitter.
At the same time, there was no guarantee he would return to his previous level as a pitcher after surgery.

Given those uncertainties, it would have been reasonable to abandon two-way play—focus on hitting, and perhaps later transition into an outfielder, a position he had experience with during his time in Japan.

But when asked whether his mindset about being a two-way player had changed, Ohtani gave a clear answer:

“I’ve come this far doing both—so why would I stop? It would be a waste not to. I believe it’s something I should keep pursuing.”

Rather than giving up on the path he had committed to since his days with the Nippon-Ham Fighters,
he chose to continue the challenge.

That decision reflects the conviction at the core of who he is.

Source

This quote comes from a Japanese book published in Japan and is not currently available in English.

Baseball Youth II: MLB Edition 2018–2024 – Shohei Ohtani Long Interview, p.98