Albert Pujols: Angels Superstar Reportedly Underwent Knee Surgery

Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols returned to St. Louis to undergo knee surgery, according to a report from Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 

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The arthroscopic procedure on the former Cardinals star was described as "a clean-up" that involves minimal rehabilitation and should not impact his participation in spring training.

Pujols already has resumed conditioning, according to a source.

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Considering the financial investment the Angels have in Pujols over the next nine years and beyond, anything that happens with him and his body is going to be monitored so closely that we know about it before Pujols does. 

Pujols' first year in Los Angeles started off slowly, to put it mildly. He hit just .217 with no home runs and four RBI in 92 at-bats in April.   

When everyone was ready to proclaim him the biggest bust in the history of baseball, Pujols rebounded nicely with a .297 average, .372 on-base percentage and 30 home runs the rest of the season. 

Minor surgeries, as everyone knows, are common in sports. Given that Pujols is already back to conditioning drills, this procedure appears to be the very definition of "minor."

This clean-up could be the best thing that has happened to Pujols. His power comes from his legs, so to potentially take some pressure off his knee with this procedure could help his home-run production next season. 

Even if Pujols' bat speed isn't what it once was, he proved this season that he can still drive the ball when he gets hold of it.

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