Angels outfielder Mike Trout’s restoration timeline appears to be rising. Earlier this week, Sam Blum of The Athletic relayed on X that the famous person says he nonetheless hasn’t began operating and doesn’t have a goal for his return date.
On the finish of April, the Angels introduced that Trout would require surgical procedure to restore a meniscus tear in his left knee. They didn’t present a restoration timeline however some reporters steered a timeline of 4 to 6 weeks based mostly on earlier surgical procedures of this nature.
Trout’s surgical procedure befell on Might 3, seven weeks in the past immediately. The truth that he’s nonetheless not operating means that he’s nowhere near a return. Even as soon as he crosses that bridge, he must progressively ramp up actions and can seemingly want some type of rehab task after such a protracted layoff.
It’s the newest irritating setback because the latest interval of Trout’s profession has sadly come to be outlined by harm absences. From 2012 to 2019, there was just one season during which Trout performed lower than 134 video games. He additionally performed 53 out of the 60 video games within the shortened 2020 season. However he hasn’t hit the 120-game mark in any season since then and solely bought into greater than 82 contests as soon as.
The 2021 season noticed Trout hit the injured checklist with a proper calf pressure that lingered and lingered, limiting him to only 36 video games that yr. The next yr, Trout was wholesome sufficient for 119 video games however did take care of some again issues. Final yr, a left hamate fracture capped him at 82 video games. This yr, he was solely in a position to get into 29 contests earlier than the meniscus surgical procedure and it’s anyone’s guess how a lot he’ll be capable to add to that quantity later within the yr.
These accidents have diminished the amount of his enjoying however the high quality has nonetheless been good. He has slashed .276/.376/.575 because the begin of 2021 and has a line of .220/.325/.541 this yr regardless of a .194 batting common on balls in play. However the mounting accidents are a major drawback for the group.
The Angels had two of one of the best gamers on this planet on the identical crew for six years with Trout and Shohei Ohtani each on the roster. However their makes an attempt to construct a winner round these two regularly fell quick, because the Halos haven’t even completed above .500 since 2015.
Now Ohtani is gone, having reached free company and signed with the Dodgers, whereas Trout has develop into an ongoing query mark. The Angels are one of many worst golf equipment in baseball this yr, with a 29-45 file that’s forward of simply 4 golf equipment.
All in all, little or no in regards to the franchise is in good condition. Along with the struggles on the main league stage, most prospect evaluators rank their farm system as one of many worst. Proprietor Arte Moreno pared again the payroll this winter and it’s unclear when it should ramp up once more. Plenty of the cash they’re spending is tied up in Trout and Anthony Rendon, with every of them making greater than $35MM yearly whereas incessantly injured. Rendon’s deal goes by means of 2026 and Trout’s by means of 2030. Trout will attain his thirty third birthday in August of this yr.
