The Los Angeles Angels have committed to insuring injured prospect Rio Foster through 2026, Foster\u2019s mother said Friday.<\/p>\n
The team will also pay out Foster\u2019s contract in 2026.<\/p>\n
Foster suffered a devastating brain injury and facial fractures when he was a passenger in a drunk driving crash in the early morning hours of Sept. 5, 2025. An outfielder playing for the Angels\u2019 High-A affiliate in Pasco, Wash., Foster had been named the Northwest League Player of the Month the morning before the wreck.<\/p>\n
\u201cThem giving me another year \u2014 allowing me to figure some things out, that really, really helped,\u201d said Iris Cleveland, Foster\u2019s mother. \u201cI was starting to feel the pressure. It eases the stress.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 22-year-old was flung from the car when the driver, Ashante Sanders-Jackson, didn\u2019t negotiate a roundabout. Sanders-Jackson remains in jail, charged with vehicular assault. Foster still cannot walk, eat on his own or hold a conversation.<\/p>\n
Previously, the Angels hadn\u2019t committed to keeping Foster on insurance through his Angels employment. When asked by The Athletic on Jan. 7 if the team planned to keep him on the roster and insured, or if they\u2019d pay out of pocket for medical expenses, the team declined to answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe continue to stay in regular communication with Rio\u2019s family but would prefer to keep those conversations private,\u201d an Angels spokesperson said. Cleveland said the team reached out to her after The Athletic\u2019s inquiry on Jan. 9, but hadn\u2019t engaged in substantive communication before that since November.<\/p>\n