What The Dodgers Are Doing For Andrew Toles And His Mental Health Issues Is Amazing
This story is kind of flying under the radar and it shouldn't be. What the Dodgers are doing for Andrew Toles should be the top story on every news station in the country. Toles hasn't put on a Dodgers uniform or played professional baseball since September 30, 2018. That didn't stop the Dodgers from renewing his contract while he is on their restricted list even though it's insanely likely he never plays Major League Baseball again. He isn't taking up a roster spot and won't earn a salary from the team either. The Dodgers are doing this so strictly so he can be eligible to receive medical insurance and therapy to help his ongoing mental health issues. It's sad that a team has to do this just for a PERSON to get help for their mental health issues.
In March of 2019 the Dodgers placed him on the restricted list after stepping away from the team and in June of 2020 he was arrested for sleeping behind an airport terminal. You look at the picture above and you can see that he is a lost soul. A guy who once had a bright baseball career was spiraling out of control and needed help. This is a guy who in 2016 went from A Ball to the starting left fielder for the Dodgers in the playoffs. He tore his ACL in 2017 and missed some of 2018 too. Spring Training 2019 he never showed up. He arrived to camp on April but left a few weeks later for personal reasons. In the past he was open about his struggles with depression and anxiety and was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. According to this USA Today Article, Toles has been in and out of 20 mental health facilities since 2019 alone. He's had multiple run ins with police as well. He was arrested in Hong Kong and spent over a month in jail after losing his passport and stealing food from a gas station. It's obvious he needs help and good for the Dodgers for stepping up.
This latest move is such an amazing gesture, a lot of teams would have cut bait after he ditched camp and said "not our problem", voided his deal and move do. The Dodgers seem to know this goes beyond the diamond and it's about getting a person their life back. It's very similar to the Mark Cuban and Delonte West story as well, teams treating these guys like people who need help, and not numbers on a spread sheet. And it's not like the Dodgers were doing this for good publicity, they don't pat themselves on the back for it, they do it to help someone out who needs it. Hard not to at root for the Dodgers after a move like this. I wish nothing but the best for Andrew Toles going forward.