It’s been a bad run of late for Albert Pujols. After a solid April, his average and on-base percentage have been pretty dismal in May and June. His power has been alright, but he has definitely looked like an older and less-effective player in recent weeks. A sore back has hampered him. Now something else is hampering him. From the L.A. Times:
The ailment led to him being thrown out at second on what would otherwise have been a sure-double. It and his back have limited him to DH duties of late. He simply can’t run.
[Pujols] disclosed after Sunday’s game that he has played with a swollen lymph node in his left groin since Wednesday.
The Angels did not send Pujols to a doctor. Pujols said the team athletic trainers considered the condition more of an infection than an injury, even with what he said was a gland swollen to the size of a golf ball.
“I’m pretty sure I’ll be all right,” Pujols said. “They say it’s one of those things that should go away.”
The ailment led to him being thrown out at second on what would otherwise have been a sure-double. It and his back have limited him to DH duties of late. He simply can’t run.
Figure on some time off for Pujols, but also figure that this is now the new normal for a guy who was once the best hitter in all of baseball.