The Los Angeles Angels revealed on Monday that first baseman Albert Pujols will miss the remainder of the 2013 Major League Baseball season.
Pujols has been bothered by plantar fasciitis throughout the season, and in July news broke that he would miss significant time and could in a worst-case scenario miss the rest of the season.
Monday, the worst-case scenario became a reality.
In his second season with the Angels, Pujols, 33, was hitting .258 with 17 homers and 64 RBIs through 99 games before being sidelined with the injury. Statistically, it's been one of the worst seasons for Pujols in his 13-year career. His time with the Angels hasn't been as treasured as his tenure in St. Louis where Pujols won two World Series in 2006 and 2011, and won the National League Most Valuable Player Award three times (2005, 2008, 2009).
In his first year with the Angels in 2012, Pujols hit for him what was an underwhelming .285, which was his second-worst average in his career, with 30 homers and 105 RBIs in 154 games after signing a 10-year deal worth about $254 million in December 2011.
With his career numbers dwindling and injuries catching up to the slugger, he still has eight years and $212 million left on his deal with Los Angeles.
The Angels (55-68) could use a jolt, as after an active offseason, the team is mired in fourth place in the American League West, 15-games behind the division-leading Texas Rangers and also 15-games out of a wildcard spot.
The Cardinals, who Pujols declined to sign a 10-year $210 million extension with when he hit free agency following the 2011 season, conversely are 71-52 and just one game behind the NL Central- leading Pittsburgh Pirates, and hold the first wildcard spot in the National League.
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