Last December during an offseason workout, Joe Smith ruptured his Achilles tendon in his right leg. The Astros would be without one of their dependable setup men for six-eight months as they entered the 2019 season. Smith was in for a long and difficult rehab following the surgery to repair the torn Achilles.
At 34 years old, Smith could have just decided to pack it in and call it a career. After all, he did have a fine career up to that point and was eying a grueling and long road to recovery. But he wouldn’t have anything to do with giving up on baseball.