It was April 11 of last season when Bryce Harper threw to home plate and clutched his arm, clearly in pain. That throw began a long chain of events that resulted in Harper playing through the season as a DH, swinging with a tear in his ulnar collateral ligament. He underwent Tommy John surgery in the offseason. He returned in May and is now raking again while his throwing arm heals.

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That makes Harper one of a select few players who can relate to what Shohei Ohtani is going through right now, and at least some of the challenges Ohtani could face in the future if he tries to hit while recovering from Tommy John surgery — from when he might return to the majors to what level of performance he could expect.

Ohtani, of course, was diagnosed with a UCL tear Aug. 23. The Angels’ superstar is still in the lineup as a DH. There has been no verdict on whether Ohtani will undergo surgery — he could try to rehab the injury through other means. But if he does opt for surgery, the two-way player and 2018 Tommy John patient could face the prospect of being one-dimensional for the entirety of next season.

“He’s been through it before,” Harper said. “He understands it. His body works differently than a lot of people around the league. He’s got to pitch. He’s got to hit. The daily grind of that, I couldn’t imagine.”

We most often think of Tommy John surgery as a procedure for pitchers. But a growing number of position players have undergone UCL reconstruction, too. Salvador Pérez, Gleyber Torres, Kyle Higashioka, Didi Gregorius, Carter Kieboom, Aaron Hicks, Edouard Julien, and Alex Kirilloff are among a longer list of active position players who have had Tommy John surgery.

Additional reading: Rosenthal: Why is Shohei Ohtani still hitting while decision on Tommy John surgery looms?

A 2020 study from the American Journal of Sports Medicine found catchers and shortstops were overrepresented among major- and minor-league position players who had the procedure.

Dr. Eric Bowman, an orthopedic surgeon and the head physician at Triple-A Nashville, said hitting generally does not stress the UCL. But even Bowman was somewhat amazed at the fact Ohtani was playing right away after being diagnosed with a UCL tear.

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“The fact he came back in the second game of the doubleheader, I think is a testament to his determination and his commitment to the team, which I think is pretty incredible,” Bowman said.

Even with the UCL tear and thumb surgery, Harper helped lead the Phillies to the World Series last season. After his Nov. 23, 2022 Tommy John procedure, he returned to the lineup as a hitter relatively quickly. He made his season debut May 2 — 160 days after surgery — and is hitting .308 with 15 home runs, with a .905 OPS that is in line with his career .912 mark. Harper has also played 15 games at first base but has yet to return to the outfield. The most difficult part of his recovery?

“Just understanding the process,” Harper said. “The good days and the bad days. Understanding there’s days you’re going to feel good. There’s days when you’re going to feel not so good.”

Tigers outfielder Akil Baddoo has some perspective, too. Baddoo was playing in the minor leagues in 2019 when he made a quick throw into the infield and felt a sharp pop. He knew immediately he had done serious damage.

“I think the first four weeks are probably the worst, but after that it gets a lot better,” Baddoo said of Tommy John rehab. “The recovery process is a lot better than as a pitcher because you don’t really have to worry about commanding or throwing strikes or getting up in the bullpen.”

Baddoo said it took close to two years before his arm felt completely normal. But when it came to hitting, Baddoo had little trouble after surgery. After the initial rest period, Baddoo built up slowly in his hitting program. He started with a tee, then moved to front toss, then batting practice, then a high-velocity machine. He increased the volume of his swings gradually. The only time he felt even a slight disturbance in his arm was while doing top-hand drills, swinging with one arm.

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“Other than that,” Baddoo said, “swinging doesn’t really affect you too much.”

Recovery from Tommy John typically means wearing a brace in the initial days after surgery and slowly building back range of motion in the arm. Per the 2020 study, hitters begin swinging an average of 150 days after surgery. Harper’s 160-day return to the lineup was uniquely quick.

Not everyone has that kind of seamless experience. Former Reds and Angels infielder Zack Cozart had Tommy John on his non-throwing arm in 2011 after a freak collision on the bases. He initially tried to continue playing before surgery, hitting with a brace on his elbow. The experience was very different than those of Harper and Baddoo.

“They gave me this brace, and they kind of locked me in (three-quarters), so I couldn’t really swing,” Cozart said in 2018. “Whenever I’d swing, I’d swing like (tight). I told them that that wasn’t going to work. Any time I took it off and tried to swing, any time I got (extended), it was a sharp pain.”

Baddoo, though, theorized Ohtani could be particularly well-suited to make a fast return to hitting if he were to have surgery. Like Harper, Ohtani throws right-handed but hits left-handed. This means his right arm is the lead arm when he swings. There is generally more pressure exerted on a hitter’s trail arm. In the 2020 study, 76 percent of hitters had the procedure on their trail arm.

Kody Clemens, currently in Triple-A with the Phillies organization, can relate. He was at the University of Texas when he tore his right UCL late in the summer of 2016. Clemens, too, throws right-handed but hits left-handed. He estimates he was hitting off a tee within four months, and he spent his 2017 sophomore season as a designated hitter for the Longhorns.

“I felt pretty normal,” Clemens said. “You don’t really stress the UCL with your front hand while swinging. I didn’t feel any difference. It was just a matter of building the strength back up and going through the rehab process and physical therapy.”

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Rangers shortstop Corey Seager is another right-handed thrower and left-handed batter. He had Tommy John surgery in May of 2018, before there was a designated hitter in the National League. Seager missed the remainder of 2018 but was ready for the 2019 season.

With Ohtani able to DH but also set to enter free agency and potentially receive a record contract, the circumstances are different, and intensified. So Seager posed an interesting question.

“That’s why I don’t know why he’s not (getting surgery) now,” Seager said. “At least at that point, you’d be able to hit by the middle of next year.”

Indeed, the longer Ohtani delays a possible surgery while playing for an Angels team out of postseason contention, the more games he could miss next season as a hitter.

In Ohtani’s case, there is another important point to consider: A UCL procedure would be Ohtani’s second, and UCL revisions typically come with a longer, more cautious recovery.

“The risks are higher, so you try to go as slow and methodical as you can,” said Bowman, the orthopedic surgeon.

So if Ohtani were to have surgery, and assuming he wants to return as a two-way player, it would ultimately be difficult for anyone else in the game to relate to his rehab. It’s uncertain how hitting could impact his recovery as a pitcher, or how a rigorous throwing program could impact him as a hitter.

If anyone can serve as a blueprint for Ohtani, it is Ohtani himself. He first had Tommy John in October of 2018. Ohtani returned as a DH on May 7, 2019, and went on to hit .286 with 18 home runs.

Ohtani next pitched in August of 2020, during the shortened COVID-19 season. A flexor strain shut him down from pitching after only two starts that year. But he returned and soared to unprecedented heights as a two-way player the next season.

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Position players across the league can provide some insight into what the next year of Ohtani’s life might be like. But Ohtani is once again in a class of his own.

“I hope it’s not too bad,” Harper said. “I hope he can come back from it very strong and keep being Shohei, because it’s fun to watch.”

— The Athletic’s Matt Gelb and Andy McCullough contributed to this story

(Top photo of Harper: Rich Schultz / Getty Images)