The story of Andrew Toles, the baseball player whose contract is renewed every year after suffering from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia

Beyond the passion it generates in the American public, the Major League Baseball it is, for the owners of the franchises that make it up, a business that moves millions. And players are the most important tools for generating profit. But Los Angeles Dodgers made it clear that money is not the most important thing. Is that the team from Los Angeles, which in 2020 added its seventh title in the World serieshas renewed the contract of andrea toles -who hasn’t played since 2018, after being diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia-, just so his former left fielder can continue to use the organization’s health insurance and mental health services.

According to US media reports, it is the fifth consecutive season that the Dodgers have signed a bond with the 30-year-old former player, to keep him on the reserve list, as part of the franchise. This year’s deal was for nothing—”$0″—but it will allow Andrew to continue to receive treatment and medication to treat his medical conditions.

Born in Decatur, Georgia, in 1992, Toles was for a time one of the most promising players in American baseball. After excelling at the college level—he played for the University of Tennessee and Chipola College—he was chosen by the Tampa Bay Rays in the third round of the 2012 MLB draft, though he has spent the next several years in various organizations since minor leaguesin which he was recognized as “Player of the Year” in 2013.

In 2016, he signed a contract with the Dodgers and made his debut in the MLB on July 8 of the same year, in a match against San Diego Padres and until early 2017, he was the team’s starting outfielder. But in May of that year, he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, had to have surgery, and sat out the season. And his career began to decline.

Following his recovery, he spent most of 2018 on the Triple-A team in oklahoma city and played in just 17 games with the Dodgers. He was supposed to return to the Major League Baseball team jersey in 2019, but he missed spring training that year because he was “dealing with a personal matter,” as reported by the franchise. He was eventually placed on the restricted players list at the start of the season and never played again.

While it was already known that he had struggled with anxiety and depression in the past – which had impacted his on-court performances – fans were wondering what had happened to him. And they had the answer in 2020, when the hell experienced by the player was made public.

In June of that year, Toles was arrested after he was found asleep behind a high-rise building. fedex at the Key West airport in Florida and refused to transfer. He spent the night in jail, accused of trespassing on private property.

“Do you know how my family felt when they heard the news? Relief. It’s crazy to say this, but the mugshot was actually the best thing ever. We didn’t know if he was alive or dead,” his wife told him. sister morgan TO use today.

It was then that it became known that the former MLB had been diagnosed in 2018 with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. That he had since gone through more than 20 mental health clinics without completing any treatment. And that he was missing and living on the streets, returning to the United States shortly before his arrest, after spending a month in a Hong Kong prison for stealing food from a gas station.

At the end of 2020, his father, Alvin Tolesformer player of nfl, who became his “legal guardian”, managed to get him off the road and brought him back to Georgia, because the former player is “traumatized by hospitals”. And since then, she has been in charge of taking care of him and making sure she takes his meds every day.

“I just want him to have a chance at life. That’s it. I want him to have a healthy, normal life,” Alvin told USA Today in mid-2021.

“It’s a challenge, but nothing that God and I can’t handle. Schizophrenia is very difficult. He can’t even watch TV. He hears voices and TV at the same time, so it’s a bit confusing. I’ve seen him watch a few matches football, baseball on his laptop, but I don’t think he really understands what’s going on. I don’t think he even understands that the Dodgers won the World Series in 2020,” he continued.

Morgan Toles’ account is much cruder.

“The truth is, he’s not living, he’s just floating,” said Andrew’s sister. “He’s almost like a zombie. I don’t know if he’ll ever heal. None of us know. But at least we don’t care if he’s alive or not.”

“This tore my family apart, it wore everyone out. I try not to think about it. It breaks my heart to think about what my father is going through. He calls me and I hear his voice breaking. I’ve heard him crying harder than ever in my life he keeps saying ‘It will all be fine’and he doesn’t want to burden me with anything, but I know he’s in pain,” she continued.

The ordeal experienced by Toles aroused the empathy of the Dodgers. And while the outfielder hasn’t set foot on a ballpark since 2019 and will almost certainly never play a Los Angeles franchise jersey again, the team continues to support him and his family.

This year, for the fifth consecutive season, they have confirmed him as a reserve player to ensure he continues to receive the treatment he needs. A gesture that, once again, was applauded and highlighted by all of baseball and sports in the United States.