Albert Pujols to DL with Partial Tear in Plantar Fascia. Kole Calhoun Recalled

My turn my turn my turn. it seems like everyone has had their say with those whole “Albert Pujols to the DL” story. The only difference is, everyone is else is labeling it as “likely.” Which isn’t really accurate. No one knows for sure. They are just assuming that that is what is going to happen now that Kole Calhoun is reportedly on his way to Oakland to join the Angels. What? You didn’t know that? You should be on Twitter then.

This is why we have Twitter.

Again, there’s the use of that word, “likely.”

I stand on the side of the fence where I want Pujols to go to the DL. So far this season he has accumulated 1.2 bWAR to go along with his .258/.330/.437 slash line. Which, yes, is the worst of his career. He’s basically been Brandon Belt so far this year. Which is a far cry from the future Hall of Famer that he is supposed to be. But, hey, congratulations, Brandon Belt. You are having an Albert Pujols-type season.

The instant ramifications if Pujols goes to the DL are what we saw yesterday in the Angels 3-1 loss to the Oakland Athletics. Maybe not so much the lack of runs scored, but how the lineup was constructed. Mike Trout is now the obvious choice for the three-hole. J.B. Shuck is still the best bet for the leadoff spot, and we can rekindle the preseason argument that was “who should hit second.” Ahhhhhhh, good times. But with Hank Conger getting the majority of the playing time behind the plate, the argument for Chris Iannetta in the two-hole kind of falls on it’s face. /snaps fingers

If Pujols does go to the DL. A.) Fans will rejoice. It’s been obvious to all of us that Pujols needs to simply shut it down, have his foot taken care of, and come back in 2014 with a chip on his shoulder and a point to prove. B.) He will, in fact, miss the rest of the season. Below is the recovery process for a person who has open surgery to relieve Plantar Fasciitis.

Via WikiHow

Three months puts us at the end of October. You’re welcome for doing the math.

Pujols being gone for the season would put that much more pressure on GM Jerry Dipoto to sell of some Major League pieces who don’t stand to return any value once the season ends. This means guys like Scott Downs could be jettisoned. Possibly Albert Callaspo since Luis Jimenez showed that he wasn’t lost in his sip of coffee earlier this season. The Angels could let Andrew Romine take over at second base and ship out Howie Kendrick if they want to get a nice haul in return, but I wouldn’t suggest that.

It makes me feel kind of icky to hope that Pujols is going to the DL so he can have this surgery, I don’t wish injury on other teams’ players, and I certainly don’t wish for it where it concerns the Angels. But they’ve dealt with enough injuries this season to go ahead and shoot this season down, close up shop, and begin retooling for 2014.

The biggest obstacle standing in the way of Pujols going to the DL however, is Pujols himself. He prides himself on being in the lineup everyday, and his pride is why he didn’t take a DL stint in May. But enough is enough. He’s not helping this team by dragging himself to the plate so he can ground into another double play. And if him going to the DL means that Dipoto can finally torpedo this season, so much the better so be it. Who knows. Maybe the rest of club rallies and plays up to it’s potential with the loss of their “Star.”

UPDATE

Per Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, Pujols is, in fact, headed to the DL.

I guess that’s what I get for making fun of the use of the word “likely.”