Los Angeles Angels, MLB

Albert Pujols likely done for season after knee procedure

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will likely be without slugger Albert Pujols for the remainder of the season.

Already far behind in the American League West, the Angels will now have to cope with the loss of Albert Pujols in their lineup for the remainder of the season.

Although Pujols was in his team’s lineup as recently as Tuesday night’s game against the Colorado Rockies, he has apparently been battling some type of lingering knee issue.

Pujols underwent an arthroscopic debridement procedure, which is essentially the removal of damaged cartilage or bone.

With the Angels currently 18 games behind the division-leading Houston Astros, it was seemingly the smart thing to do to correct the issue for the 38-year-old and have him be ready for the 2019 season.

Pujols will end his season with a .245 batting average, 19 home runs, and 64 RBIs, and will look to continue to add to his 633 career home runs — currently sixth on the all-time list — next season.

The Angels signed Pujols to a lucrative 10-year $240 million contract before the 2012 season, and he is still owed roughly $87 million over the next three seasons.

Since Pujols joined the team, Los Angeles has only made the playoffs once, which was back in 2014.

It goes beyond one player to be a successful Major League Baseball team, but surely the Angels envisioned way more success when they paired Pujols with arguably the best baseball player in the majors today in Mike Trout.

Most baseball fans will surely like to see Pujols continue to creep up the all-time home run list, so hopefully this isn’t the end of the road for the slugger.

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With that said, the man that we’ve come to know as “The Machine” will surely be a first-ballot Hall of Famer whenever he ultimately decides to hang it up.

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