Rio Foster, a prospect for the Los Angeles Angels, was in a serious crash on Friday while riding in the back seat of a vehicle. The driver hit a power pole and fence, hurling Foster from the car. The driver now faces DUI charges.
The Athletic reported that it happened in Richland, Washington, which is near the home field of "the Class-A Tri-City Dust Devils, an Angels affiliate."
Foster's mother is now desperately seeking help from fans and fellow players as her son "suffers from a traumatic brain injury along with skull and facial fractures and remains in critical condition."
"This same day Rio was named Player of the Month for his organization and was supposed to be playing in the Fall League in Arizona within the next few weeks," reads an update on Foster's GoFundMe page. "Rio is the most humble, kind and respectful young man and this is the most unfortunate circumstance. He worked so hard to get to where he is today, and was on fire these past fews [sic] weeks."
The page is trying to raise $40,000 to aid in the expenses.
Lawyer and baseball fan Benjamin B. Kabak posted his shock to Bluesky that one of the most prominent players must beg for help with medical expenses. The owner of the Angels, Arte Moreno, has a net worth of $5 billion, according to his Forbes profile.
Forbes crafted a "philanthropy score" in 2020, where it ranked 400 billionaires based on their charitable giving. The highest score was a 5. Moreno was given a 1.
Angels pitcher Yusei Kikuchi donated $10,000 to the fund. Angels outfielder Jo Adell contributed $5,500.
Foster isn't the first in the baseball world to be forced to seek help from the public. In 2018, Washington Nationals assistant general manager Doug Harris revealed he had leukemia for a second time. His wife announced a GoFundMe account asking for help with his treatment. Fellow Nationals held an auction to help raise money for him as well, CBS Sports reported at the time.
The Learner family owns the Nationals, and Mark Lerner took over as the managing principal from his father, Theodore N. Lerner. The former passed in 2023, leaving a net worth of $6.4 billion to his family, Forbes said.
You can see the prospect interview with Foster below or at the link here.
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