OC Register: Angels’ Albert Pujols had been dealing with knee pain ‘for quite some time’ before surgery

[AngelsWin.com]

HOUSTON — A day after Albert Pujols underwent season-ending surgery, word around the Angels was that he’s needed the procedure for a while.

“He’s been battling this for quite some time,” Manager Mike Scioscia said Thursday of the left knee issues that resulted in Pujols’ having an arthroscopic debridement on Wednesday.

Pujols was on the disabled list in July because of inflammation in his left knee. He missed the minimum 10 days, and since then there had been no public mention of any issues.

Trout, however, said he knew Pujols was fighting the injury.

“It just goes to show you how tough a player he is,” Trout said. “It’s hard to get him out of the lineup. He has a passion for the game. As a teammate, you want to see that. We come in here every day and see him fighting through the pain. It just came to a point where it was time to do it.”

The Angels are obviously out of the race for the postseason, which Trout said contributed to Pujols’ decision to have the procedure now.

“If it was a different situation,” Trout said, “he’d be playing for sure.”

SHOEMAKER CLOSE

Matt Shoemaker will join the Angels and throw a bullpen session, which could be the final step before he returns to the rotation.

“If all goes well, we’ll see if we can’t get him into our rotation early next week sometime,” Scioscia said Thursday.

Monday is the most likely day, because it would be five days after his rehab outing at Class-A Inland Empire, and also because the Angels don’t otherwise have a starter who could pitch that game.

Shoemaker started one game this year, and then he went on the disabled list with what he said was the same injury that cost him the second half of last year. He said the injury – a split pronator tendon – couldn’t be discovered by imaging. In May, he underwent exploratory surgery in precisely the spot where he felt the pain. Previously, doctors believed it was a radial nerve issue.

PROSPECTS TO FALL LEAGUE

Second baseman Jahmai Jones is among five Angels prospects included on the initial rosters for the Arizona Fall League. The Angels also will send pitchers Jesus Castillo, Ryan Clark, Brett Hanewich and Daniel Procopio to play for the Mesa Solar Sox. The Angels still have spots to add one more infielder and one more outfielder.

The AFL schedule runs from Oct. 9 to Nov. 17. It is typically a destination for the game’s best prospects to hone their skills against each other. Vladmir Guerrero Jr., considered the No. 1 prospect in baseball, will also play in the AFL this year.

ALSO

Justin Upton was activated from the disabled list, taking Pujols’ spot on the roster. Upton had missed 10 days with a finger laceration, which he suffered on a broken glass at his home. …

José Briceño was recalled to take the place of René Rivera, who was allowed to go to the Atlanta Braves on waivers.

UP NEXT

Angels (RHP Jaime Barría, 8-8, 3.67) vs. Astros (LHP Framber Valdez, 2-0, 0.96), Friday, 5 p.m., Fox Sports West, KLAA (830 AM)

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• Angels’ bats go silent in 3-2 loss to Rockies

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[Jobu]

Quote

"It just goes to show you how tough a player he is,” Trout said. “It’s hard to get him out of the lineup. He has a passion for the game. As a teammate, you want to see that. We come in here every day and see him fighting through the pain. It just came to a point where it was time to do it.”

The Angels are obviously out of the race for the postseason, which Trout said contributed to Pujols’ decision to have the procedure now.

“If it was a different situation,” Trout said, “he’d be playing for sure.”

Have at it, libs.

[kevinb]

5 minutes ago, Jobu said:

Have at it, libs.

If Pujols took care of his body his body wouldn't be breaking down as much. He would be playing much better than the zero existence he has been in the line up the last couple years. 

[GrittyVeterans]

7 minutes ago, Kevinb said:

If Pujols took care of his body his body wouldn't be breaking down as much. He would be playing much better than the zero existence he has been in the line up the last couple years. 

No, his knees and feet  are completely shot and it isn’t his fault. It happens to many people and athletes.

He just needs to retire

[mulwin444]

13 minutes ago, Kevinb said:

If Pujols took care of his body his body wouldn't be breaking down as much. He would be playing much better than the zero existence he has been in the line up the last couple years. 

I don't know how he has taken care of body for the past decade, do you?  Do you know his diet?  Workout routine?  Body fat percentage?  

I have zero confidence in my ability to make these statements since there is so little information related Pujols' preparation and conditioning.  You have the "eye" test but there was also a rumor Trout was "fat" based on observations as well.

Likelier culprit is age and "mileage"...he needs to consider hanging it up but $80+ mil is a lot to leave on the table.

[Blarg]

We've beaten the Pujols knee subject to death, already.

The snippet about the AFL is what interests me. Jones is on the list to go and the Angels have an outfield position open that I hope is Adell's to fill. With how fast he has moved through the organization this may be his one shot at it. 

I may not get a chance to go this year, depending on work schedule. Which is unfortunate since my brother moved to the Glendale area and I would have free lodging. 

[GrittyVeterans]

10 minutes ago, mulwin444 said:

I don't know how he has taken care of body for the past decade, do you?  Do you know his diet?  Workout routine?  Body fat percentage?  

I have zero confidence in my ability to make these statements since there is so little information related Pujols' preparation and conditioning.  You have the "eye" test but there was also a rumor Trout was "fat" based on observations as well.

Likelier culprit is age and "mileage"...he needs to consider hanging it up but $80+ mil is a lot to leave on the table.

He doesn't need to leave the money on the table. The Angels can pay him his money still and he can either go into coaching or do something in the front office.

And both sides will be better off for it. Pujols gets to save face by not being an embarrassment any longer and can blame it all on injuries while still getting most if not all of the money he signed for, and the Angels get to use that roster spot on a younger, more athletic player.

[kevinb]

15 minutes ago, mulwin444 said:

I don't know how he has taken care of body for the past decade, do you?  Do you know his diet?  Workout routine?  Body fat percentage?  

I have zero confidence in my ability to make these statements since there is so little information related Pujols' preparation and conditioning.  You have the "eye" test but there was also a rumor Trout was "fat" based on observations as well.

Likelier culprit is age and "mileage"...he needs to consider hanging it up but $80+ mil is a lot to leave on the table.

Yes there is the eye test. Sure I don't know his work out routine, but I can tell from looking at him he isn't killing it at the gym and lowering his weight. Which is a big reason his feet and knees have been having a lot of issues. Mileage is a weird term to use on someone who plays baseball. He also plays first base, which isn't really a high intensity position in the sport like say catcher is. He isn't being tackled on a constant basis so the wear and tear on someone who is standing the majority of his career I don't know. People break down because of age yes, but he is 40 he isn't 60, and people break down because they don't take care of themselves on the majority. 

Also on the Trout thing he did put on weight, that wasn't a lie. It was just what he wanted to do. He wanted to bulk up more than he was previously to get more power numbers. He looks thicker now than he did when he first came up, which is fine because he is awesome. 

[UndertheHalo]

The “eye test” lol.  Come on man. 

I don’t know why some of you guys need some specific reason why Albert hasn’t been great.  It’s pretty simple.  He’s gotten old. 

[Stradling]

His body broke down on him, this isn’t the first time this has happened.  Twenty five years ago players weren’t playing a lot late into their 30’s.  Look around the league right now, guys like David Wright, basically done at the age of 31.  Josh Donaldson has been injured the last two years, he is 31 years old.  How bout another first baseman, Miguel Cabrera, he’s 35 and has been injured 3 of the last 4 years.  Adrian Beltre is a year older than Albert and has been injured the last two years.  People’s bodies break down at different times and not all of it is based on whether or not they are taking care of themselves in the gym.  Some of it is simply genetics.  People feel as though they have been wronged because he is paid a lot of money and so they vilainize the guy.  

[mulwin444]

13 minutes ago, Kevinb said:

Yes there is the eye test. Sure I don't know his work out routine, but I can tell from looking at him he isn't killing it at the gym and lowering his weight. Which is a big reason his feet and knees have been having a lot of issues. Mileage is a weird term to use on someone who plays baseball. He also plays first base, which isn't really a high intensity position in the sport like say catcher is. He isn't being tackled on a constant basis so the wear and tear on someone who is standing the majority of his career I don't know. People break down because of age yes, but he is 40 he isn't 60, and people break down because they don't take care of themselves on the majority. 

Also on the Trout thing he did put on weight, that wasn't a lie. It was just what he wanted to do. He wanted to bulk up more than he was previously to get more power numbers. He looks thicker now than he did when he first came up, which is fine because he is awesome. 

He's averaged 150 games over 18 seasons...that is a lot of wear and tear regardless of the position.  Also, he wasn't a 1B his entire career...he played 3B and OF his first three seasons.  Not to mention he's played 1B near-elite defense his prime so he wasn't a statue out there a al Cron.  All of this adds up...I'm really not getting how can't see this unless you are just choosing to ignore it.

[beatlesrule]

12 minutes ago, Stradling said:

His body broke down on him, this isn’t the first time this has happened.  Twenty five years ago players weren’t playing a lot late into their 30’s.  Look around the league right now, guys like David Wright, basically done at the age of 31.  Josh Donaldson has been injured the last two years, he is 31 years old.  How bout another first baseman, Miguel Cabrera, he’s 35 and has been injured 3 of the last 4 years.  Adrian Beltre is a year older than Albert and has been injured the last two years.  People’s bodies break down at different times and not all of it is based on whether or not they are taking care of themselves in the gym.  Some of it is simply genetics.  People feel as though they have been wronged because he is paid a lot of money and so they vilainize the guy.  

Josh Donaldson is almost 33. Wright is 35. Also, Beltre has been worth every penny of that contract. He should have and wanted to be an Angel but Arte balked at that 6th year option. 

[Glen]

Coincidentally, while Albert was playing through pain I was in pain watching him play.

[Stradling]

3 minutes ago, beatlesrule said:

Josh Donaldson is almost 33. Wright is 35. Also, Beltre has been worth every penny of that contract. He should have and wanted to be an Angel but Arte balked at that 6th year option. 

You are right, not sure how I screwed up Donaldson, but Wright I screwed up because when I looked at Baseball Reference I saw his age 31 season was when he started really breaking down.  My point wasn’t worth or not worth the contract my point was the fact that some players bodies age quicker than other players bodies.  

[Troll Daddy]

Workingout isn’t all that

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, mulwin444 said:

I don't know how he has taken care of body for the past decade, do you?  Do you know his diet?  Workout routine?  Body fat percentage?  

I have zero confidence in my ability to make these statements since there is so little information related Pujols' preparation and conditioning.  You have the "eye" test but there was also a rumor Trout was "fat" based on observations as well.

Likelier culprit is age and "mileage"...he needs to consider hanging it up but $80+ mil is a lot to leave on the table.

And 10,000+ PA's of constant bending of the knees, that + carrying 240 lbs has to break down the knees and feet sooner or later.  

[IEAngelsfan]

1 hour ago, Blarg said:

We've beaten the Pujols knee subject to death, already.

The snippet about the AFL is what interests me. Jones is on the list to go and the Angels have an outfield position open that I hope is Adell's to fill. With how fast he has moved through the organization this may be his one shot at it. 

I may not get a chance to go this year, depending on work schedule. Which is unfortunate since my brother moved to the Glendale area and I would have free lodging. 

Get with it Blarg.

This is yet another bash Pujols thread.  Please stay on topic.

[Angel Oracle]

1 hour ago, UndertheHalo said:

The “eye test” lol.  Come on man. 

I don’t know why some of you guys need some specific reason why Albert hasn’t been great.  It’s pretty simple.  He’s gotten old. 

Exactly, 38 year-olds are usually NOT supposed to play regularly, although there are exceptions.

[kevinb]

2 hours ago, Stradling said:

His body broke down on him, this isn’t the first time this has happened.  Twenty five years ago players weren’t playing a lot late into their 30’s.  Look around the league right now, guys like David Wright, basically done at the age of 31.  Josh Donaldson has been injured the last two years, he is 31 years old.  How bout another first baseman, Miguel Cabrera, he’s 35 and has been injured 3 of the last 4 years.  Adrian Beltre is a year older than Albert and has been injured the last two years.  People’s bodies break down at different times and not all of it is based on whether or not they are taking care of themselves in the gym.  Some of it is simply genetics.  People feel as though they have been wronged because he is paid a lot of money and so they vilainize the guy.  

I don't make him out to be a villain because he is getting paid a lot of money. It is what it is Arte offered him the contract, he would be stupid not to have taken it. People's bodies break down all the time sure. But weight has a lot to do with it, being in shape has a lot to do with it, yes wear and tear has a lot to do with it. Josh Donaldson has been injured this year. Other than that look at his numbers. Beltre plays 3rd base which is maybe 100 times more taxing than it is then playing first but he also isn't very "lean". Miguel as well played 3rd base the majority of his career till swapping to 1st. Have you looked at Miguel, it isn't as though he has gotten smaller. Pujols has played 1st base or DH the entire career. That isn't taxing. I get it working out is hard, and losing weight is a bitch. I've dealt with it with injuries that have flared up because I gained weight then dropped it and feeling 1000% times better. Baseball players specifically aren't as athletic as the other major sports, but keeping their bodies in excellent shape will detract from a lot of these nagging injuries like his knee and plantar problems. Will it fix every single problem maybe? maybe not? But Pujols isn't in fantastic shape for his age and as a professional athlete. Dude can barely run to first base. There are tri athletes who have more wear and tear on their bodies doing all that stuff who can move better than him. It is simply a matter of care and not care.  

[Mark68]

"For quite some time" = approximately seven years

[Stradling]

10 minutes ago, Kevinb said:

I don't make him out to be a villain because he is getting paid a lot of money. It is what it is Arte offered him the contract, he would be stupid not to have taken it. People's bodies break down all the time sure. But weight has a lot to do with it, being in shape has a lot to do with it, yes wear and tear has a lot to do with it. Josh Donaldson has been injured this year. Other than that look at his numbers. Beltre plays 3rd base which is maybe 100 times more taxing than it is then playing first but he also isn't very "lean". Miguel as well played 3rd base the majority of his career till swapping to 1st. Have you looked at Miguel, it isn't as though he has gotten smaller. Pujols has played 1st base or DH the entire career. That isn't taxing. I get it working out is hard, and losing weight is a bitch. I've dealt with it with injuries that have flared up because I gained weight then dropped it and feeling 1000% times better. Baseball players specifically aren't as athletic as the other major sports, but keeping their bodies in excellent shape will detract from a lot of these nagging injuries like his knee and plantar problems. Will it fix every single problem maybe? maybe not? But Pujols isn't in fantastic shape for his age and as a professional athlete. Dude can barely run to first base. There are tri athletes who have more wear and tear on their bodies doing all that stuff who can move better than him. It is simply a matter of care and not care.  

Albert has played first base a majority of his career but for his first three years he had played all around the diamond.  He didn’t settle into first base until his fourth season.  Albert didn’t log 100 games as a DH until 2016 which was his 16th season.   Could he be in better shape, yes of course.  But man what an f’ing grind the regular season is, it isn’t simply they show up 30 minutes before game time and go.  They show up at 2pm for a 7pm game.  They probably get home around midnight each night.  He came into camp in great shape, but during the season all players put on weight and the older players put on weight more rapidly.  I get it, you are young and haven’t dealt with that yet.  When you get to age 35 or 40 you will see how tough it is to stay in great shape.  Oh and then have a bunch of lower body injuries and try and stay in top shape.  

[kevinb]

4 minutes ago, Stradling said:

Albert has played first base a majority of his career but for his first three years he had played all around the diamond.  He didn’t settle into first base until his fourth season.  Albert didn’t log 100 games as a DH until 2016 which was his 16th season.   Could he be in better shape, yes of course.  But man what an f’ing grind the regular season is, it isn’t simply they show up 30 minutes before game time and go.  They show up at 2pm for a 7pm game.  They probably get home around midnight each night.  He came into camp in great shape, but during the season all players put on weight and the older players put on weight more rapidly.  I get it, you are young and haven’t dealt with that yet.  When you get to age 35 or 40 you will see how tough it is to stay in great shape.  Oh and then have a bunch of lower body injuries and try and stay in top shape.  

I am 35. But yes I get it he is older and wear and tear of the season. But that is why they are professional athletes. The older they get the harder they have to work to stay in great shape. It is a part of life. He isn't doing that, which is why his body is breaking down more and more. 

[mulwin444]

26 minutes ago, Kevinb said:

Beltre plays 3rd base which is maybe 100 times more taxing than it is then playing first 

Missed the 3B to 1B positional "body taxing conversion chart"...mind posting it?

[Jobu]

Beltre comps are dumb unless Albert gets to take testosterone.

[kevinb]

58 minutes ago, mulwin444 said:

Missed the 3B to 1B positional "body taxing conversion chart"...mind posting it?

What's a more taxing position 1st or 3rd? Ever play play baseball? Which one needs the more athletic player?