Mike Trout has not taken the field for the Los Angeles Angels since April 29, when after a routine outing he was diagnosed with a torn meniscus and opted to undergo surgery that would hold him out indefinitely. It has been six weeks since that procedure, meaning general manager Perry Minasian is going to start getting questions about his progress.
Trout is currently farther behind in the rehab process than his teammate, Anthony Rendon, who recently began easing his way into baseball activities. But knee surgeries can be a slow and laboring process, with Trout choosing this path in the hopes that he can return at full strength this season as opposed to playing through pain and operating in the offseason.
Minasian, in his first comments about Trout since the injury, refused to put any sort of timeline on his return, keeping things brief in the discussion, according to Jeff Fletcher of The O.C. Register:
“When he’s healthy he’ll play,” Minasian said. “We have to get him healthy to where he can go out and play and be Mike Trout. As far as timeframes, I don’t give timeframes. I don’t think anybody wants to get back as bad as Mike does. It’s just a matter of him getting healthy and being able to do that.”
Trout has played 29 games this season, looking dominant in the first half of those games and falling back to Earth in the second half. However, getting a fully healthy Trout back in the lineup regardless of where the Angels are in their season is a positive thing.
Trout is not going to help the Angels win games and get to the postseason in 2024 — given how far back they already are in the standings — but his presence could serve as a boost for the young players that L.A. hopes to build around for the foreseeable future.
Angels’ Anthony Rendon gets backing on season length comments
Angels third baseman Anthony Rendon recently came under fire for comments saying that the Major League season is too long. It was the latest in a laundry list of commentary from Rendon that suggested a lack of commitment towards the sport.
However, Rendon’s comments brought about an interesting point and a new topic of conversation. The question of the length of MLB’s season is not a new one, and there are legitimate reasons to think that shortening it could reduce injuries and increase game-to-game competitiveness.
The results of an anonymous player poll conducted by The Athletic’s Chad Jennings didn’t entirely back Rendon’s claims, but certainly gave them some credence.