Mike Trout's road back to the Major Leagues hit a disappointing road block on Tuesday when he was removed from his rehab game at Triple-A Salt Lake City due to left knee soreness. He is considered day-to-day, according to Angels PR.
It's another setback in what has been a frustrating run for arguably the best player in baseball. The three-time MVP has exceeded 100 games played in a season just once since 2019 and played only 29 games this year before going on the injured list with a torn meniscus in his left knee. He had surgery on May 3.
Before Tuesday night's game, Angels manager Ron Washington expressed optimism for Trout's imminent return.
“Hopefully that's another progression he's making and we can have him back,” he said, per ESPN. “I don't know exactly when, but let's see how it goes in Salt Lake City and then make a call from there.”
The plan was for Trout to return to the Angels' lineup by the end of the week, ESPN's Alden Gonzalez reported. That, clearly, is no longer guaranteed.
The concerning part is that Trout's new injury comes in the same knee that landed him on the IL in the first place. The Angels have not released additional details regarding the injury.
Mike Trout's injury history gets longer
Trout's 29-game cameo to start the season presented Angels fans with hope that their superstar was finally back. Though he wasn't hitting for average, he socked 10 home runs and had an OPS+ of 138 in April. That comes after playing only 82 games in 2023 with a broken hamate bone in his left wrist. He was still solid in that time, hitting .263 with 18 homers and a 2.9 bWAR, but it was hardly the first-ballot Hall of Fame numbers fans had become used to.
The year before, Trout played 119 games but missed significant time with a back injury. And in 2021, he tore the cover off the ball for 36 games before a calf strain cut his season short.
While Angels fans hold their collective breaths, they may not want to acknowledge the ever-growing elephant in the room. Trout is now 32, which isn't terribly old, but most players are exiting their prime by that age. Furthermore, Trout broke in when he was only 19. His limbs have 14 years of mileage on them. This setback certainly does not spell doom for Trout's entire career, but it is discouraging.
Trout is currently in the midst of a 12 year, $426,500,000 deal with the Angels that he signed in 2019, shortly before his injury woes began. He's due to make more than $37 million a year each year through 2030, his age 38 season.
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