The unfortunate saga of Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder Andrew Toles has taken a sad turn, as Toles was found this week sleeping behind a Florida airport, then arrested and jailed when he refused requests to leave.
Toles, 28, played for the Dodgers as recently as 2018 and is currently on the restricted list. He never reported to spring training in 2019, citing an unspecified personal issue. The Dodgers put him on the restricted list to free up space on their 40-man roster, but he technically remains in the organization. In the past, he’s had a history of mental health issues.
According the Miami Herald, Toles was found this week sleeping behind the Key West airport with just a black book bag. On his arrest report, police listed his address as “the streets of Key West.”
Toles was sleeping behind the Federal Express building, located at Key West International Airport, 3491 S. Roosevelt Blvd. All he had with him was a black book bag, deputies said.
Police said they gave Toles several chances to leave the area without being arrested but he wouldn’t walk away, wrote Deputy Tomas Venegas.
On Friday, Toles remained at the Stock Island Detention Center on a $500 bond. He has a court date set for July 2 before County Judge Peary Fowler.
Andrew Toles in 2018 with the Dodgers and after his arrest this week in Key West, Fla. (Getty Images / Monroe County Sheriff's Office)
Toles was drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays out Chipola College in Florida, where he was suspended from the team for breaking team rules. He eventually asked for his release from the Rays and they granted it. According to a 2018 profile from The Athletic, Toles then spent time in a mental health treatment center.
Anxiety plagued his minor-league career up to that point. Pedro Moura of The Athletic wrote:
He was imperfect, and he began to deal with crippling anxiety. He struggled to sleep. Regularly, he showed up late to the ballpark and committed mental mistakes on the field, and regularly he heard from manager Jared Sandberg.
After a year away from baseball, Toles signed with the Dodgers and did well in the minors, eventually making the big leagues in 2016. Notably, he hit well in the 2016 postseason for L.A. He split time between the minor leagues and majors for the Dodgers in 2017 and 2018.
Yahoo is now a part of Verizon Media
..........
Sad situation.
We know how the world feels about black men.
If anything, black men should be looking out for one another.
Not sure what his support system looks like but we all should be doing our part in supporting other black men we know who are going through it.
Hope this breh gets the help that he needs.
good shyt. Hope homie can pull through.