Angels' Pujols (foot) expected to miss opener

Angels first baseman Albert Pujols is recovering from offseason surgery on his right foot, and by the sounds of it, the team doesn’t expect him to be in game shape by Opening Day. Here’s this from Mike Cranston of the Associated Press:

Manager Mike Scioscia said Thursday the three-time NL MVP is doing some swinging but still has a lengthy recovery ahead. Coming off his first 40-home run season since 2010 with St. Louis, Pujols had surgery in November after foot pain limited him to a designated hitter role during the final month of last season.

The team’s medical staff thinks Pujols won’t be ready for the April 4 opener against the Chicago Cubs.

Obviously, the hope for the Angels, who are already quite thin in the lineup outside of Mike Trout, is that Pujols will be ready not long after Opening Day.

Pujols, who’s entering into his age-36 season, is coming off a 2015 campaign in which he batted .244/.307/.480 (118 OPS+) with 40 home runs in 157 games. He enters 2016 with 560 career homers.

Speaking of 2016, the CBS Sports Fantasy projections tab Pujols for a line of .252/.314/.474 with 36 homers. Pujols is of course under contract with the Angels through the 2021 season.

Albert Pujols’ 2016 may get off to a delayed start. (USATSI)

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