MLB
Los Angeles Angels prospect Rio Foster is in critical but stable condition after suffering skull and facial fractures following a car crash on Friday in Richland, Wash.
Foster’s mother, Iris Cleveland, provided an update on his condition through a GoFundMe post on Monday, stating that her son has undergone brain surgery and has several more procedures needed in the coming months.
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“Rio is the most humble, kind and respectful young man and this is the most unfortunate circumstance,” Cleveland wrote.
“He worked so hard to get to where he is today, and was on fire these past few weeks. Although he’s in this predicament we know that this is something he will come back from, and 10 times stronger.”
Foster, a 22-year-old outfielder playing for the Angels’ High-A affiliate in Washington State, was a passenger in a single-car crash at around 2 a.m. early Friday morning. He was ejected from the car. There were three other passengers in the vehicle, which flipped and crashed into a pole after failing to negotiate a roundabout.
The driver, 23-year-old Ashante Sanders-Jackson, was arrested on three felony counts of vehicular assault. Her bail was set at $200,000, according to a report by the Tri-City Herald, citing court documents.
In an interview with The Athletic, Sanders-Jackson’s mother, Richal Sanders, said that Foster and Sanders-Jackson were very close friends and that Foster had been there for Sanders-Jackson during her own personal hardships.
“She has a really good heart. She cares about everybody in her car,” Richal said.
Richal said her daughter Chloe Sanders, Sanders-Jackson’s sister, was also ejected from the car. She sustained a brain bleed, multiple fractures and head trauma, but has since been released from the hospital.
“I’m really concerned,” Richal said. “Rio, my daughters, they all have their life ahead of them.”
According to documents cited by The Herald, Sanders-Jackson told investigators that they were drinking at Daisy Ranch Saloon and headed to an afterparty at Foster’s suggestion.
Police arrived at the crash site and detected the odor of alcohol coming from Sanders-Jackson’s breath.
She struggled to complete field sobriety tests and told police she wasn’t supposed to be driving. Sanders-Jackson later declined a preliminary breath test, though a blood sample was taken later through a court order.
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Foster, drafted in the 16th round by the Angels in 2023, had just been awarded the Northwest League player of the month the day before this accident. The Athens, Georgia native was having a career season, posting an .846 OPS over 93 games.
Cleveland wrote that she’s hoping to have her son transferred back to Georgia.
“Please, please, please,” she wrote, “keep him in your prayers.”
(Photo: Matt York / AP Photo)
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Sam Blum is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Los Angeles Angels and Major League Baseball. Before joining The Athletic, he was a sports reporter for the Dallas Morning News. Previously, he covered Auburn for AL.com and the University of Virginia for The Daily Progress in Charlottesville.

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