It's shaping up to be another lost season for Mike Trout and the Los Angeles Angels as the star center fielder who has been the best player in the MLB for most of the past decade is currently recovering from the torn meniscus that has kept him out of action since April 29. An injury of that nature necessitates around four to six weeks of recovery time, with an additional few weeks added on top of that to return to game shape.

However, it nearly two months since Trout sustained the injury, and yet there remains a ton of uncertainty regarding when he would be returning to the diamond for an Angels team that is currently sporting a bad 29-44 record. In fact, as Trout spoke with reporters on Wednesday, he revealed that his recovery has gone more slowly than initially expected.

“It's getting there. Obviously, slower than I thought. First time with a knee injury. But, trust the process. Taking it day by day,” Trout said, via Taylor Blake Ward of The Sporting Tribune. “Hopefully [I can start baseball activities] soon. Just got to get that strength back.”

At the very least, Mike Trout also said that the past week was a bit of a “turning point” for him and that he's “ramping up” towards returning to baseball activities. But it's worrying that Trout hasn't begun running yet and that he's been limited to using the treadmill and stationary bike to maintain his conditioning.

“I can't run. There's certain things that are kinda ache-y and sore the next day. We're trying to limit that because I don't want to get here and have a setback,” Trout added.

Given how many injuries Trout has had over the past few seasons, it's fair for him and the Angels to err on the side of caution. Medical science has come a long way, and torn menisci aren't as career-shortening as they were in the past. But given how important Trout is to the franchise, there is simply no way he should return to the diamond, and in center field, no less, if he's less than 100 percent.

Injury woes are ravaging Mike Trout's career

Through the first eight full seasons of Mike Trout's career, he was on a trajectory to become the greatest baseball player to ever grace the planet. That is no mean feat, given how great the players who have come before him were. However, the past four seasons have not been the kindest to the Angels star, with his 2024 meniscus tear being his latest battle against a serious lower-body injury.

2021 was when Trout began to slow down thanks in large part to injuries. A serious calf injury kept him out for 126 games in 2021, as he simply could not go through his recovery process in a smooth manner. 2022 was a better season for the Angels start, as he “only” missed a total of 43 games due to some back problems. But in 2023, an unfortunate wrist injury held him to just 82 games played.

Now, it's definitely concerning that Mike Trout has had problems with his calf and now his knee is the body part that's giving him problems. The leg is one interconnected network, and there will inevitably be a mental hurdle that's necessary for him to clear before he could return to 100 percent production on the field. But Trout has sought the help of those who have experienced the same injury (torn meniscus) so he could get an idea of what the picture of recovery looks like.

“I talked to a lot of people who went through this. There's gonna be aches and pains before I come back. It's gonna slowly get better. And then there's a pain and an ache tolerance, to know when to cut back on things,” Trout added.

Time is not on Mike Trout's side. He's already 32 years of age, and he'll be turning 33 come August 7. Recovering from injuries becomes more difficult as one ages. But for baseball's sake, hopefully Trout can overcome his injury troubles and approximate his peak form, as the game is much more entertaining when he's at his best.

Angels are lost without Trout

Don't get it twisted; the Angels look like a bad team anyway even if Mike Trout were healthy. After all, the Angels have made the playoffs just once with Trout on the roster, and they didn't even win a single playoff game during that year. But the Angels look mighty lost without their best player.

With Trout on the mend, the Angels have turned to former first overall pick Mickey Moniak, who had a breakout year of sorts in 2023, to patrol center field. The results haven't been pretty at all. Moniak, entering Wednesday, was sporting a terrible slash line of .189/.239/.296 while playing below-average defense in center field. A rebuild truly might be in order for the Angels soon.