Look away, Angels fans. Three-time MVP Mike Trout tore his meniscus and must undergo surgery to repair the knee ligament. As a result, the star is set to miss a chunk of the season.
While the Angels didn’t announce a timetable for Trout’s return, similar past injuries would indicate a return in four to six weeks could be in play. However, it is entirely possible that Trout will miss more time depending on the severity of the damage.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, an emotional Trout did his best to explain when the injury occurred. The star finished Monday night’s 6-5 win over the Phillies and stated he felt a “a little bit of ache” in the 3rd inning.
“It’s just frustrating, but we’ll get through it. Didn’t think anything of it,” Trout said. “And then I was hitting, running, didn’t feel nothing. It was just sore. I was kind of telling myself maybe I just banged it on something and I didn’t realize it. Then after the game, getting treatment, it was really sore.”
Trout would go on to say that he “couldn’t get out of bed” Tuesday morning, prompting an MRI on the knee.
“We’re going to miss Mike,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “I think we all know what he means to this organization. But the thing about baseball — there’s a game on the schedule. You have to play it. You have to put nine guys on the field. So we’re going to put nine guys on the field. Some guys are going to get the opportunity that they’ve been craving, and we’ll see what they can do with it.”
Trout’s latest injury feels like déjà vu to Angels fans — and the baseball world in general. One of the best players in baseball, Trout has appeared in just 266 games since 2021 due to various injuries. From 2012 to 2019, Trout finished in the top-2 of MVP voting in all but one season. In his last near-full season, 2022, Trout slugged 40 HR in 119 games. Through 29 games this season, Trout was leading baseball with 10 HR and had six steals — equaling his total since 2021.
Before his string of injuries, Trout was arguably on pace to become one of the five greatest players of all-time. Now, his career is beginning to resemble the latter half of Ken Griffey Jr.’s epic run. All baseball fans are hoping Trout can return to the field soon and pick up where he left off.
