The adjective for Albert Pujols was "embattled" for the first two months. As in, "Embattled slugger Albert Pujols ..." It was a good way to remind everyone that Pujols was terrible in April and May. That was followed by "surging", "red-hot", and "Pujols-like." But when Pujols left the Angels' game on Wednesday, he was just kind of achy.
After an MRI to his calf, though, the Angels received good news:
Pujols MRI results reveal inflammation in right calf. He is, as we all are, day to day. #Angels
Inflammation is better than a strain, which is better than a tear, so Pujols will avoid the disabled list. In the interim, the Angels have options to take over at first, from Mark Trumbo to Kendrys Morales, so they likely won't miss Pujols that much. Apart from him being one of the best hitters in the American League, that is.
Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols left Wednesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox in the fourth inning after suffering a leg injury while running from second base to third, after having led off the inning with a double.
It’s not clear yet how serious this injury is, but the Angels are taking no chances with their slugging star. Austin Laymance:
The first baseman will undergo an MRI before Thursday’s game, and it’s unclear if he will miss any time.
“I’m feeling sore right now,” Pujols said after the Angels beat the Red Sox, 7-3. “How I did it, I don’t know, I can’t tell you.”
Pujols further stated after the game that this injury was not as serious as a calf injury he suffered in 2008:
“This is nothing even close to that,” Pujols said. “Hopefully [Thursday] it feels better. I’m going to ice it down tonight and do other stuff and see how it goes. It’s pretty sore, so hopefully just sore and [Thursday] hopefully I feel better and play. If not, I’ll just take a day [off].”
With the Angels in a tight wild-card battle, they can ill afford to lose Pujols for any length of time.
