Trash Pandas third baseman Cole Fontenelle was on pace for a stellar season in early May.
The Angels’ No. 30 prospect was batting .278 with a .404 on-base percentage and had stolen 12 bases and scored 16 runs.
But on May 4 in Birmingham, his season would come to a screeching halt as he dislocated his ankle and fractured his fibula on a slide into second base. (See the injury as it happened HERE. Viewer discretion is advised)
“I felt like definitely some pain right away and I looked down and saw it was pretty bad, kinda just freaked out a little bit,” he said. “In that moment, it was just kind of a lot of emotions going through me and I think I kinda realized right then, its probably it for the season.”
The 7th rounder had a plate and screws put in his leg. He spent weeks on crutches before moving on to a scooter. And while he is making progress, it will be several months before he gets back on a field.
“They’re gonna shut me down, just because it's not worth the risk to come back at the very end if I'm not 100 percent,” he said of returning this season. “I think the plan right now is to be healthy for instructional camp in October. So that is my goal right now.”
Though he won’t return to action during the 2024 season, Fontenelle said it’s meant the world to him to be able to spend time with the team.
“It’s tough, baseball's what I love to do and it’s tough not to be able to do it, but being around the guys really helped. The two weeks after the injury happened I wasn’t able to be around them and so those were really tough. So just being back these last couple weeks was really nice.”
Fontenelle said he will spent the rest of the week with the Trash Pandas before he heads to Arizona to continue his rehab on Friday.
