The Dodgers have long prided themselves in caring for their players – on and off the field. It is one thing to ensure that their players and prospects are well fed and being taken care, and an entirely different thing to continue caring for those struggling with on-going personal and mental health issues.

According to research by John Hopkins University, one-in-four adults suffers from a diagnosable mental disorder in a year. Mental health disorders can be scary and severe, and are not a topic that most individuals feel comfortable publicly discussing.

Multiple media outlets were abuzz Wednesday with the news that the Dodgers renewed the contract of extremely popular 30-year-old outfielder Andrew Toles, who hasn’t appeared in a MLB game since September 30, 2018 against the San Francisco Giants at then AT&T Park (now Oracle Park).

The Decatur, GA native and third-round draft pick in 2012 by the Florida Marlins out of Chipola College in Marianna, FL first appeared on the Dodgers’ roster during the 2016 season. He batted .314/.365/.505 in 115 plate appearances over 48 games. The Dodgers had plans to give the then 23-year-old a significant role in the 2017 season, but due to a torn ACL, those plans never came to fruition and he spent nearly the entire 2018 season on the ‘Disabled List,’ as it was still called back then. After finally fully recovering, he appeared in 17 games for the Dodgers late in the 2018 season.

And then the bottom fell out.

Toles was placed on the restricted list for the 2019 season due to personal reasons and hasn’t been in a lineup with the Dodgers or any other team since. However, during his combined (partial) three seasons with the Dodgers, he slashed a very respectable .286/.333/.459/.792, with 14 doubles, eight home runs, and 35 RBI.

During the 2020 season, Toles was again placed on MLB’s restricted list after being found sleeping behind a Federal Express building at the Key West International Airport in Florida. It was reported that officers gave the popular outfielder multiple opportunities to leave the property, but he refused and was eventually arrested on a misdemeanor trespassing charge. According to reports filed by the police, he was suffering from serious mental health issues.

When the news broke of Toles’ arrest, several members of the Dodgers’ organization reached out to his family. To this day, many Dodgers players and coaches still consider Andrew Toles a beloved member of the organization.

Lo and behold, it was reported on Monday that the Dodgers had renewed Toles’ contract for the 2023 season for the MLB minimum salary of $720,000, knowing full well that he will not appear in a single game with them on any level. They did so to ensure that he can continue to utilize any healthcare needs and allow him to have financial support.

Most teams would have dropped the player like a hot rock and not continue to provide financial support to someone with mental health issues and unable to even put on a pair of spikes. But the Dodgers are not like ‘most teams’ They clearly understand and realize that players are people first, not just a bunch of numbers.

Well done, Dodgers.

Let’s Play Ball!

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