ESPN Baseball Analyst Issues Statement After Being Crushed by Tree

ESPN baseball columnist Jeff Passan suffered a bad injury while working in his yard.

Jeff Passan has been an MLB insider for ESPN since 2019, covering games and developments across the league for the sports news giant. Like thousands of Americans across the country this summer, Passan has also been dealing with the aftermath of bad weather ripping through neighborhoods like his. While picking up the pieces after one nasty storm recently, Passan suffered a possible life-changing injury. 

"During cleanup after a big storm in [Kansas City], a large tree limb decided to fall and crush me," he shared candidly on Twitter. "The good news: I still have use of my arms, legs and Twitter fingers. The bad news: I have a broken back." 

"The vertebra fracture will heal. I will be better," he continued. "I'm hoping the pain subsides between now and the trade deadline, though painkiller-fueled tweets could be a fun time." 

Passan went on to thank his family, friends, and colleagues at ESPN who have been uplifting him during this difficult time, as well as the medical staff at the University of Kansas Medical Center for helping him on his road to recovery. "I so appreciate your care and diligence," he acknowledged. 

He also pointed out that just because he'll be healing doesn't mean he still can't cover and deliver baseball news to his followers, especially in these busy weeks leading up to the MLB's trade deadline on Aug. 1. "To those who are so vital to helping me deliver news this time of year especially: My back may be shot, but my phone still works," he noted. 

This is the culprit.

You can be damn sure I will be making a bat out of it. pic.twitter.com/WkR4XkGBIH

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) July 17, 2023

In a follow-up tweet, the ESPN analyst shared a photo of the tree limb responsible for nearly leaving him paralyzed. "This is the culprit," he wrote. He also has some big plans for the tree after he's recovered: "You can be damn sure I will be making a bat out of it." 

Hopefully Passan can make a speedy recovery and hit the baseball diamond with his one-of-a-kind bat in tow soon.