Andrew McCutchen is out for the year with a torn ACL

Philadelphia Phillies outfielder Andrew McCutchen’s season is over. The former MVP’s 2019 campaign came to an end on Monday when he tore his ACL in a non-contact injury, while caught in a pickle.

McCutchen was playing in his first year for the Phillies, after signing a three-year, $50 million deal with the club over the offseason. He was paired with the big fish of free agency, Bryce Harper, to help the Phillies make numerous runs in the coming years.

He’s also one of the easiest players in baseball to root for. He plays the game with great spirit and energy, and a constant smile on his face. He’s humble, enthusiastic, and certainly appears to be a kind, good-hearted human. His teammates love him, his quotes are always tremendous, and his philanthropic work speaks for itself.

McCutchen played 130 games with the San Francisco Giants last year, and that was more than enough to earn him the #GoodGiant and #ForeverGiant monikers. That says everything you need to know about him.

The injury was, not surprisingly, a tough pill for McCutchen to swallow.

“It’s not the news I wanted to hear,” McCutchen said after the tear was confirmed. “I just need to take the steps I need to take to get myself back and ready for next year.”

In 59 games this year, McCutchen was slashing .256/.378/.457 with 10 home runs, and a league-best 43 walks drawn. He had been worth 1.7 Wins Above Replacement, per Baseball-Reference, putting him on pace to have his best season since 2015.

While the Phillies didn’t reveal a date for McCutchen’s surgery, the five-time All-Star said that he is optimistic that he’ll be back in the lineup on opening day of the 2020 season.

Baseball is worse without Andrew McCutchen. Here’s hoping he heals up well, and is still a high-quality player when he returns.