Los Angeles Angels star outfielder Mike Trout suffered a potential setback in his attempt to get back to the majors.
Trout has been trying to work his way back since tearing the meniscus in his left knee in late April.
Trout was expected to play five innings in center field in his first game and serve as the designated hitter on Wednesday, Angels manager Ron Washington said before their game on Tuesday in Seattle. The Angeles have struggled without Trout in the lineup and are in fourth place in the American League West with a 44–57 record.
Trout had surgery on the injured knee on May 3, and his rehab had gone well enough that he could begin playing in a competitive minor-league game. Trout struck out in his first at-bat for Salt Lake and caught three fly balls in center field before the knee started to bother him again.
On the positive side, Trout spent time with his wife and second child, who was born over the past month while he was sidelined.
“It was special,” Trout said in the interview before the first rehab game. “Obviously, I didn’t want the time off, but I got to spend time with my family, my wife, and my two kids now. It was cool to be able to see that. Sometimes, when you have a baby, you are on the road. I was fortunate enough to be home. It’s been great.”
In 2019, Trout and the Angels agreed to a 12-year, $430 million contract extension, which was the richest in both Major League Baseball and sports history at the time. Under the deal, Trout is tied to the Angels through the 2030 season.
However, he has been plagued by injuries over recent years and has appeared in just 226 games since the start of the 2021 season because of various ailments.
When healthy, Trout is regarded as one of the best players in the history of Major League Baseball.
He was a star at Millville High School in New Jersey and was selected by the Angels with the 25th overall in the 2009 Major League Baseball draft. He made his full major league debut in 2012 and batted .326 while leading the American League in runs scored (129) and stolen bases (49). He was also stellar defensively and won the American League Rookie of the Year award by unanimous vote.
The following year, Trout once again led the American League in runs (109) and had a .432 on-base percentage (OBP). In 2014, Trout finished with a career-high 36 home runs, led MLB with 111 RBIs, and was named AL MVP. Trout led the Angels to a postseason appearance, but the Kansas City Royals swept Los Angeles out of the playoffs.
Trout had managed to stay healthy early in his career, appearing in 157 games or more from 2013 through 2016.
However, the recent years have not been as kind.
In May 2021, he suffered a season-ending calf injury and missed the remaining 139 games. Without him in the lineup for most of the season, the Angels went 77–85 and finished in fourth place.
The following, he was placed on the Injured List for five weeks after suffering back inflammation. The Angels went 73–89 and finished in third place in the AL West.
Last season, Trout broke his hamate bone in his left hand in early July and returned for only one game in August. Los Angeles struggled again, going 73–89, finishing fourth in the division.
Now, it’s uncertain when Trout can return to the lineup. The Angels face an uphill battle to make the postseason and could consider dealing some of their top players at the trade deadline to prepare for the future.
The question is how much Trout can contribute to that future with the recent spate of injuries.
