Albert Pujols in danger of missing the start of 2016 due to toe surgery
The Los Angeles Angels may be without slugger Albert Pujols when they open the 2016 on April 4. Pujols underwent surgery on his right big toe last week, and will not begin baseball activities for four and a half months, according to Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com.
If that timetable is accurate, Pujols would be able to resume baseball activities again in late March. While it’s possible that he would only need a week or so to be ready for the start of the season, it seems unlikely. That said, Angels general manger Bill Eppler said the surgery “went very well,” so maybe there’s still hope for Pujols.
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Either way, the news isn’t encouraging for the 35-year-old slugger. Pujols hasn’t missed a lot of time during his tenure with the Angels, playing in at least 150 games in all but one of his four seasons with the club. That said, he hasn’t necesarily been healthy either, playing through various injuries, which have impacted his production.
Pujols was limited to just 99 games in 2013 due to plantar fasciitis in his left foot. His recent surgery was in his right foot, so the injuries are not related. Due to the pain caused by the issue, Pujols was limited to DHing during September.
His age and contract status make the injury even more worrisome. At age-35, Pujols has reached a point in his career where injuries tend to occur more often. He’s also reached a point where recovery times can take longer.
On top of that, Pujols is still under contract with the Angels for six more seasons. Over that period, the club owes him $165 million, including $25 million next season.
Pujols has already seen his numbers decline with Los Angeles, likely due to age. With the St. Louis Cardinals, Pujols compiled a ridiculous career slash line of .328/.420/.617. Since joining the Angels, that’s dropped to .266/.326/.478 in four seasons. No one expected Pujols to continue to hit like an MVP candidate as he aged, but his drop-off was concerning even before the surgery.
Though Pujols should miss some time, his absence probably won’t force the Angels to react in free agency according to Gonzalez.
As Gonzalez notes, C.J. Cron will be the likely replacement should Pujols miss time early. The 25-year-old Cron has hit .260/.296/.444 over 657 career plate appearances. His .262/.300/.439 slash line was worth a 105 wRC+ last season. Pujols’ .244/.307/.480 line, by comparison, was worth a 116 wRC+.
While Cron could improve at the plate, there’s still likely to be a drop-off at the position until Pujols is healthy again. Even though Pujols’ production has taken a hit with Los Angeles, he’s still better than their alternatives.
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In fairness, that’s not saying much at this point. Still, the loss of Pujols will hurt the Angels early on next season.
The bigger concern here is whether this injury is the first sign that Pujols’ body is starting to crumble after 15 seasons at a demanding, physical job. The Pujols contract was already starting to look questionable due to his decline in production. Things will only get worse if he spends a fair chunk of the next six seasons on the disabled list.
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Chris Cwik is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Chris_Cwik
