Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Wednesday, according to the team. He's likely to miss the rest of the season:
Medical Update:
— Angels PR (@LAAngelsPR) August 29, 2018
Albert Pujols underwent successful arthroscopic debridement of his left knee earlier today. Surgery was performed by Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles. A general timetable to return to playing following this procedure is 6-8 weeks. #Angels
Provided Pujols is out for the year, he'll finish 2018 hitting .245/.289/.411. While those marks represent an improvement over his miserable 2017, they also serve as the second-worst offensive effort of his storied career. In fact, his 91 OPS+ is the fifth-lowest among first basemen with at least 300 plate appearances, better than only Chris Davis, Logan Morrison, Ian Desmond, and Ronald Guzman.
Pujols will enter the 2019 season hopeful that this operation will help him regain some of his old form. He'll also resume his march toward 700 homers needing 67 more to get there. Pujols should have time to do it -- he's under contract for more than $85 million through 2021.
