Los Angeles Angels superstar center fielder Mike Trout, who is rehabbing a torn meniscus in his left knee and hasn't played since the end of April, is beginning a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake City on Tuesday night.
Before the game, the Salt Lake Bees posted an interview with Trout on social media where he gave on update on how his knee is feeling heading into his first rehab appearance.
“It feels great, I'm looking forward to getting out there,” Trout said.
Trout was then asked about how the hardest part about rehabbing his knee.
“Trusting your body,” Trout added. “You put so much pressure on yourself to get back out there, but you've got to listen to your body. I was able to do that, obviously it was longer than I thought, but I feel 100%.”
Mike Trout feels ‘100%' ahead of rehab appearance
While it was already a good sign that Mike Trout was participating in a minor league rehab appearance, his comments show just how close he is to returning to the Angels lineup. Once he can begin to get his timing back and have some at bats against live pitching in an in-game atmosphere, he should ready to hit at the big league level and finally make his way off of the injured list.
Angels manager Ron Washington says the current plan is for Trout to play five innings in center field on Tuesday, DH on Wednesday and “possibly” play seven innings in center field again on Thursday, according to MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. Based on this schedule, Trout would be in line to return on Friday when the Angels host the Oakland Athletics.
Even though the Angels are already out of the postseason race for all intents and purposes, nine games back of the Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners in the AL West and 12.5 games back of the third AL Wild Card position with a 43-57 record, the three-time MVP and 11-time All-Star's return will be a significant boost.
It is important to note that the despite the Angels likely selling at the upcoming trade deadline, Trout has made it clear in the past that he does not want to be traded. He is almost guaranteed to remain with the Angels for the rest of the season.
Before his injury, Trout was having another excellent season. Despite his average being down compared to what he usually hits, only at .220, his power numbers were as good as anyone else's in baseball. In just 29 games, Trout had 10 home runs and was slugging .541.
Maybe Trout's return can be the shot in the arm the Angels need to start playing some more competitive baseball.
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