ANAHEIM, Calif. _ Albert Pujols will undergo surgery to remove a bone spur in his throwing elbow Wednesday, just two weeks after the Los Angeles Angels first baseman had season-ending arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
The recovery time for both procedures is four to six weeks, which should give the 38-year-old slugger enough time to complete his normal offseason workout regimen in preparation for 2019. Pujols also had an injection to treat the tendinitis in his left elbow on Friday.
"I'm not going to play the rest of the season, so I might as well take care of the little things for next year," Pujols said before Monday night's game against the Texas Rangers in Angel Stadium. "With physical therapy and a good offseason, everything should be back in the right place next year."
Pujols, who has three years and $87 million left on his contract, started 70 games at first base this season after being limited by foot injuries to a combined 34 starts in the field in 2016 and 2017. That allowed the Angels to start two-way star Shohei Ohtani at designated hitter on a regular basis.
Ohtani has emerged as an offensive force, entering Monday night with a .291 average, .966 on-base-plus-slugging percentage, 19 homers and 53 RBIs and making a strong push for American League rookie-of-the-year honors.
But an elbow injury will limit Ohtani to hitting in 2019, so Pujols will need to play first base to maximize his at-bats next season.
"Nobody expected me to play 70-plus games at first base this year, and I did," said Pujols, who hit .245 with a .700 OPS, 19 homers and 64 RBIs. "If I'm healthy, I expect to play 162 games. That's who I am. I want to be on the field. I love to be on the field. I'm a Gold Glove first baseman, and I showed I can still do that. My goal is to play as many games at first base as I can."
The elbow injury didn't prevent Pujols from throwing this season. The knee began bothering Pujols in late-May, and he said he had to have it drained several times.
Pujols received an injection of platelet-rich plasma in the knee and went on the disabled list for 11 days in mid-July. He played for another five weeks before undergoing debridement surgery, in which damaged cartilage, bone and any loose bodies or fragments are removed from the knee, on Aug. 29.
Pujols had surgery on the same knee after the 2012 season, his first with the Angels. He was also slowed by plantar fasciitis in his left foot in 2013 and his right foot in 2015 and 2016.
"I could have easily played the rest of the season, but I felt it was getting worse and worse, and we had to take care of it," Pujols said of the knee. "I thought going to the DL would calm it down, and it did, but it started flaring up again, and it was time to shut it down. I have to look at the long run and get ready for next year."
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