Chipper Jones likely out for year with knee injury
Chipper Jones, a career Atlanta Brave may be finished for good after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament. He will need surgery and it’s estimated it will be six months before he can play again. That certainly puts him out of the playoffs, and Jones had previously stated that he was considering retirement after this season finished.
“I’m sure as the next couple of days go by, those are things we’ll discuss and he’ll discuss with his family,” his agent, BB Abbott, told The Associated Press. “It’s not something he’ll decide immediately. He’s going to need to hear everything about the injury and rehabilitative process. He’ll probably make his decision from there. I can assure you it’s not something that’s going to be a knee-jerk decision.”
Jones was hurt in Tuesday’s game against Houston when fielding a routine ground ball. While making the throw to first base, Jones jumped in the air, and when he came down, he crumpled to the ground and stayed down for several minutes. He eventually got up and walked off the field, but felt something was wrong. “It’s hurt,” he said at the time. “I heard a distinct pop.”
The next day he had an MRI exam, and Thursday the team’s doctor told him the bad news. The MRI showed a partial tear, plus some stretching of the ligament, making it impossible for him to come back without surgery.
“Obviously, he’s very, very disappointed. I would almost describe it as numb,” Abbott said. “He knows this will be a big blow to the team. Obviously, he has been going very well recently and felt like he was really contributing to the team’s success. This is real disappointing for him.”
Although he had a terrible start to the season, causing him to contemplate retiring, things started to pick up for him in August when he had an OPS of 1.304 and even hit a few home runs. His team expect to miss him.
“There’s no denying the presence he had in the middle of our lineup,” general Manager Frank Wren said. “When you think of the Atlanta Braves, the first guy you think of is Chipper Jones. His presence in our lineup has been increasing based on his performance the last couple of months. He was a force. So, yeah, we’re losing a lot.”
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