Former MLB pitcher Jonathan Papelbon has blasted Stephen A. Smith as ‘racist’ and a ‘fake person’ after the ESPN analyst’s recent criticism of Mike Trout.

Smith sparked controversy earlier this week when he questioned how Trout and other baseball players seem to sustain injuries so frequently, after the LA Angels center fielder announced he needs surgery on his left knee for a torn meniscus.

‘How the hell is he always hurt?,’ the 56-year-old said about Trout on First Take. ‘I don’t understand this.

‘It drives me nuts when I see baseball players get hurt. What is it that you’re doing with yourself physically that you can’t stay healthy playing baseball?

‘Now, you get hit by a pitch or something, that’s different, I get all of that. With these oblique injuries, you’re running around bases, catching one, then you’re running out for a fly ball, and all of a sudden, something gets tweaked. What the hell is going on?’

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Ex-MLB pitcher Jonathan Papelbon has blasted Stephen A. Smith as ‘racist’ and a ‘fake person’

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Smith recently accused LA Angels star Mike Trout of sustaining injuries too frequently, questioning his fitness after he announced he needs meniscus surgery

Smith’s comments did not go down well on social media, with a number of users accusing him of downplaying the physical demands of baseball.

However, Papelbon has gone even further in condemning the TV personality, claiming his dig at Trout was in fact fueled by racism.

During an appearance on Foul Territory, the former Boston Red Sox relief pitcher said about Smith’s ‘hypocrisy’ when suggesting he doesn’t criticize basketball players to the same degree: ‘To me, I look at him in three [ways]: I look at him as a racist, I look at him as xenophobic, and I look at him as fake. A fake person.

‘[He’s] saying stuff just to simply be popular or get views, and that’s not what the game needs. The game doesn’t need this.

‘Everybody wants to tune into the media, I get it. But at the end of the day, you have to be responsible for the s**t that you say. And unless ESPN holds him accountable for the stupid s**t that he says, guess what? He’s going to keep doing it.’

Papelbon also claimed that he was told during his time with the Philadelphia Phillies that a younger Smith was banned from the team’s clubhouse for trying to peer through the manager’s office and the trainer’s room.

‘I’ve always looked at this guy like a complete joke, and really shady,’ he said. ‘When you get kicked out of a major league clubhouse, you should never be able to be a journalist ever again.’

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The ESPN analyst’s take did not go down well with Papelbon, who launched a strong response

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He has branded Smith ‘racist’ and ‘xenophobic’ after his recent criticism of baseball players

The retired MLB figure concluded by urging ESPN to act on Smith’s recent comments on Trout, even suggesting he should be fired by the network.

‘I challenge ESPN to do something about it,’ he said. ‘I challenge ESPN to either fire him or cut his pay or do something about it, because honestly nobody wants to listen to his s**t.

‘Everybody knows that it’s just for likes, it’s just for followers, he really doesn’t actually know what he’s saying. This is just another idiot who doesn’t know what he’s talking about.’