MLB's Erik Tolman Opens Up About Amputation Scare, 'My Life Flashed Before My Eyes'

Six days after making his MLB debut, Washington Nationals reliever Erik Tolman opened up about the harrowing incident during a minor league game in 2023 that nearly led to him having part of his leg amputated.

Speaking to The Athletic's Spencer Nusbaum in the wake of his big league debut, Tolman said his "life flashed before my eyes" when thinking back on his in-game injury while playing for the Fredericksburg Nationals.

It occurred on Aug. 2, 2023, in his ninth appearance of the season and sixth for Fredericksburg after having two separate Tommy John surgeries in 2021 and 2022.

Tolman was jogging out to the mound in the third inning when he attempted to skip over the foul line as part of a superstitious ritual many pitchers engage in, except a spike on his cleat got caught in the turf and he landed awkwardly.

Tolman, a 14th-round pick by the Nationals in 2021, told FanGraphs' David Laurila in May that the full extent of damage was a torn ACL, PCL, LCL, hamstring torn off the bone and a ruptured peroneal nerve that caused a foot drop, which caused the foot to be paralyzed for more than a year and nearly resulted in part of his leg being amputated:

"I had surgery to fix it, so now I'm only limited in my mobility. I can only go up and down. I can't go in or out at all, and I still can't feel the top of my foot. I had to teach myself to walk again. I basically had to rewire my brain in order to walk, run, or even drive."

Nusbaum noted Tolman needed three surgeries over an 11-month period, including one that involved moving a muscle from the back of his leg to the front in an attempt to correct his foot drop.

According to Nusbaum, New Year's Day 2025 was a turning point for Tolman when he was able to make a 5.5-hour drive from California to Arizona because it was when he decided he wanted to put himself through the type of rehab that would be required to have a shot at playing baseball again.

"Since I made that decision, I feel like I'm much happier in life," Tolman said. "Nothing but smiles now."

Tolman eventually made it back to pro ball in 2025 when he appeared in 33 games for three different teams in the minors. He started this season in Triple-A and made 32 appearances (one start) before getting called up by the Nationals on Aug. 19.

Tolman made his first MLB appearance on Aug. 22, tossing a scoreless inning against the Miami Marlins. He has thrown a total of 2.2 innings in three appearances, allowing no runs on two hits and two walks with two strikeouts.

The left-hander recorded his first career hold on Thursday in the Nationals' 7-1 win over the Colorado Rockies.