Signed to a 5-year contract in 2018, outfielder Justin Upton’s past seasons with the Angels have resulted in a frustrating draw between average outfield performance and time spent on the injured list. And while fans hoped that 2021 would yield some of the same fire that earned him his long-term contract deal in the first place, the left fielder fell short. He played a total of 89 games in 2021 before a right lumbar strain ended his season with subpar statistics on his 2021 ticket.
In comparison to other players on the field like David Fletcher who logged 157 games last year, 89 times taking the field ultimately falls flat, but in comparison to his two previous seasons, Upton played more games than normal.