On the season, Pujols has been a massive disappointment, hitting .253 with a .743 OPS (both career lows, by far). Pujols had a truncated spring training as he recovered from offseason knee surgery and has done battle with plantar fasciitis since April, so the dip in numbers is somewhat understandable. The logical question now is: what do I do with him?

The best answer is "hold." In a worst-case scenario, Pujols goes on the DL for a few weeks to heal his foot and rest his knee. But he's almost guaranteed to return with a chip on his shoulder and something to prove. In a best-case scenario, Pujols simply goes back to being the Fantasy stud that he is, after playing through the injuries. Either way, all roads should eventually lead to Pujols improving, so selling him may lead to little more than regret. 

Pujols has recorded a hit and driven in at least one run in each of his last four games. He'll try to maintain his recent success as his team's series with the White Sox extends into the weekend.

When Scioscia plays him at first base to keep his left foot loose -- he's been in the field the past two games -- the 33-year-old said his foot becomes sore later in the game. However, it's difficult for Pujols to work past his issues while sitting idle on the bench as the designated hitter.

"With Albert, there's no doubt that he's been impacted by some issues to his lower body to be able to leverage the ball the way he can," Scioscia said. "There are times he feels good and times that are holding him back from what he wants to do. "Our preference right now is to get Albert healthy. And if he can nurse his way through it and be productive, that's the optimum. But if he can't, we'll consider other things."