The Phillies released Pujols (Achilles) on Friday.
Pujols missed nearly all of the 2019 season after undergoing surgery last April to address a torn Achilles' tendon, appearing in only three rehab games between two of the Phillies' rookie-level affiliates in late August. The 24-year-old should now be at full health or close to it 15 months after surgery, but Philadelphia evidently no longer viewed him as a long-term piece. Pujols was a career .238/.304/.406 hitter across six seasons in the organization, topping out at the Double-A level in 2018.
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Phillies' Jose Pujols: Out for year after Achilles surgery
Rotowire
Pujols won't play in 2019 after undergoing surgery to repair his Achilles' tendon, Matt Gelb of The Athletic Philadelphia reports.
It's an unfortunate turn of events for the 23-year-old, who had begun to claw back some prospect hype with a strong 2018 campaign after he'd looked completely lost in 2017. In 121 games with High-A Clearwater and Double-A Reading, the outfielder hit .295/.365/.503 with 22 homers. He'll likely report to Reading in 2020.
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Phillies' Jose Pujols: Stays hot at Double-A
Rotowire
Pujols is 6-for-12 with a pair of homers since his promotion to Double-A Reading on Friday.
Pujols earned the promotion on the back of a strong showing for High-A Clearwater, where he hit .301/.364/.523 with 18 homers in 95 games. It was an encouraging performance after he hit just .194/.247/.305 with a 42.6 percent strikeout rate at the same level last season. Red flags certainly remain for the 22-year-old, as his strikeout rate at Clearwater remained worryingly high at 32.8 percent, but there now appears to be at least an outside chance that he could hit enough to showcase his elite power.
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Phillies' Jose Pujols: Hits 24th homer at Low-A
Rotowire
Pujols went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI for Low-A Lakewood on Monday.
The homer was Pujols' 24th of the season. It is nice to see the power materialize this season, but that has come with a lot of strikeouts (163 in 115 games). He has cut that rate down to less then one strikeout per game in August, but more time will be needed to see if Pujols has made an adjustment or if it is an anomaly.
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Phillies' Jose Pujols: Homers and drives in five
Rotowire
Pujols went 2-for-5 with a home run and five RBI for Low-A Lakewood on Thursday.
Pujols, 20, is hitting .265/.298/.459 with five home runs and a stolen base in 98 at-bats this season. He hit just four home runs last season in 66 games. The toolsy outfielder was signed as an international free agent in 2012.
