Already eliminated from American League playoff contention, the Angels don’t have much left to play for this season. They’ll go through their final meaningless couple weeks of the year without left fielder Justin Upton, who’s dealing with patella tendinitis in his right knee, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register was among those to report. Upton will undergo a platelet-rich plasma injection next week, and he should be ready to work out again in six weeks.
Injuries bookended 2019 for Upton, who didn’t debut until mid-June on account of a toe issue. Upton endured uncharacteristic struggles when he did play this season, as he slashed an unimposing .215/.309/.416 with 12 home runs in 256 plate appearances. He’ll wrap up the year with a career-low 92 wRC+ and minus-0.2 fWAR – which counts as his worst figure in that category since his rookie campaign in 2007.
The 32-year-old Upton has typically been an above-average producer, which is why the Angels signed him to a five-year, $106MM contract going into 2018. They and Upton can only hope he’ll bounce back to his usual form next season, when the Halos will try to finish over .500 for the first time since 2015 and break a five-year playoff drought.
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