Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels runs after a single during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the Philadelphia Phillies, Monday, April 29, 2024, in Anaheim, California.
14:17 JST, May 1, 2024
ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout will undergo surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee, sidelining the three-time AL MVP indefinitely.
The Angels believe Trout can return this season, general manager Perry Minasian said as he announced the injury Tuesday.
Trout is hitting .220 with 10 home runs, 14 RBIs and six stolen bases in the Major League this year, but he will be sidelined for the fourth straight season with a major injury. The Angels placed Trout on the 10-day injured list and signed veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar to a one-year contract worth $740,000.
Trout underwent an MRI after playing in the Angels’ 6-5 win over Philadelphia on Monday. The outfielder fought back tears as he described the pain that gradually crept over him after the game.
“It’s crazy because when I look back, I don’t even know when I did it,” Trout said. “I said to myself, ‘Maybe I just bumped it somewhere and didn’t realize it.’ And when I got treatment for it after the match, it really hurt. The plan was just to see how I felt in the morning. If I woke up and it hurt, just have it looked at. That was the plan. Last night I had trouble falling asleep. It hurt all night.”
Trout’s latest injury is another major blow to the Angels, who are off to an 11-18 start in their first season since the departure of Shohei Ohtani as a free agent.
Los Angeles also lost Anthony Rendon indefinitely to a torn hamstring earlier this month. The $245 million third baseman has also been sidelined for much of the past four straight seasons by a series of injuries.
Trout and Rendon are by far the Angels’ two highest-paid players, each making more than $37 million this season.
Mickey Moniak took over Trout’s normal starting job in center field when the Angels hosted the Phillies again on Tuesday night.
The 32-year-old Trout won his three MVP awards during a dominant decade of play in the 2010s, but the previously durable outfielder has been plagued by injuries since 2021.
He missed all but 36 games of the 2021 season with a calf strain, and he missed several weeks of the 2022 season with a back injury. Trout then broke a bone in his hand last season and missed all but one game after July 3.
Trout said he has never had health problems with his knees.
“I talked to a few guys there who had meniscus repairs,” Trout said as he stood outside the Angels’ clubhouse. “It’s a fairly simple procedure. I will get it right away and come back as soon as possible, (but) this is difficult.
The Angels signed Pillar to a contract on Tuesday, a day after naming veteran Aaron Hicks for assignment. Hicks, the Yankees’ longtime outfielder, hit .140 with one home run in 18 games for the Halos.
Pillar hit .160 in 17 games this season for the White Sox, who designated him for assignment last Friday. The Angels are the ninth Major League team in the past six seasons for the 35-year-old Pillar, a native of Southern California.
The Angels also selected the contract of left-handed reliever Amir Garrett and sent right-hander Davis Daniel back to Triple-A Salt Lake.
