The Los Angeles Angels received some bad news Wednesday, as first baseman Albert Pujols will be out for the rest of 2018 after undergoing surgery on his left knee, per Maria Guardado of MLB.com.
The 38-year-old Pujols was hampered by the knee injury throughout of 2018, and the time frame is a six-to-eight week recovery, per Guardado. Manager Mike Scioscia said he wasn't sure if Pujols was "100 percent" during any game this season.
Once again, the Angels lose a key player to a long-term injury in what's been a frustrating 2018 season after such a promising start. Starting pitcher Garrett Richards was ruled out for the season in July after it was revealed that he required Tommy John Surgery.
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Prized rookie Shohei Ohtani was hampered by a UCL sprain for much of the season, and he's been limited to 78 games of action so far. The super utility pitcher and batter has also made just nine starts on the mound this season. And finally, franchise star Mike Trout missed time with a wrist injury, and it was only the second trip to the disabled list of his impressive career.
Pujols' 2018 season finishes with a mere .245 batting average, 19 home runs, 64 RBI and an OPS of .700. It will be just the second season of his career in which Pujols didn't hit at least 20 homers, the other being 2013 when he had 17 despite missing 63 games.
A future Hall of Famer, Pujols has been one of the most dominant hitters of all-time, and one of the finest defensive first basemen. But injuries and age have led to significant decrease in production at the plate, and it's unlikely we'll ever see his All-Star form again.
Pujols put up respectable numbers this season despite being hampered by a bad knee. So perhaps he could have one more signature year in 2019, should Pujols' knee be fully recovered.