ESPN’s MLB insider Jeff Passan, 42, has broken his BACK after a tree crushed him – but he is not paralyzed and expects to fully recover

ESPN reporter Jeff Passan has revealed he has broken his back after a tree fell on him – but he is not paralyzed and says he will make a full recovery. 

Passan, 42, is an MLB insider for ESPN and has been with the company since 2018. 

He took to Twitter on Monday to explain why he had been quiet for a few days during the midway point of the 2023 season and revealed he had a bad accident at his home in Kansas.

‘Sorry I haven’t been posting lately,’ he wrote. ‘During cleanup after a big storm in KC, a large tree limb decided to fall and crush me. 

‘The good news: I still have use of my arms, legs and Twitter fingers. The bad news: I have a broken back.

ESPN baseball reporter Jeff Passan broke his back when he was hit by a tree after a storm

Passan, 42, said in a lengthy Twitter statement that he will make a full recovery 

Passan also tweeted a picture of the tree in question and said he’ll make a bat out of it 

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

‘To my incredible family, friends and everyone at ESPN who have been so supportive: Thank you. For the nurses, doctors and support staff at KU Med: I so appreciate your care and diligence. 

‘And 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.’

Passan seems in good spirits though – when he tweeted his statement explaining what happened, he captioned it: ‘Breaking: my back’. 

He also tweeted a picture of the tree that landed on him and wrote: ‘This is the culprit. You can be damn sure I will be making a bat out of it.’

Before his move to ESPN, Passan was a reporter for Yahoo for 13 years. 

In 2021, The National Sports Media Association named Passan its sportswriter of the year.