Same song, different verse. Trout’s body betrays him again.
Angels’ outfielder Mike Trout has suffered another meniscus tear and will be on the shelf for the rest of the season. General manager Perry Minasian informed reporters on Thursday, including Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register, who relayed the message on social media.
Trout underwent surgery at the beginning of May to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee. He was able to take the field and begin a rehab assignment by playing for the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees on July 23 but was forced to exit that game with left knee soreness. The Angels subsequently announced that he would return to Southern California to be re-evaluated and it now appears that a torn left meniscus has been diagnosed yet again and he will not be able to suit up for the Angeles for the remainder of 2024.
“Since my initial surgery on May 3rd to repair my meniscus, my rehabilitation proved longer and more difficult than anticipated,” Trout said in a statement released on social media. “After months of hard work, I was devastated yesterday when an MRI showed a tear in my meniscus that will require surgery again – ending my hopes of returning this season. Playing and competing is a huge part of my life. This is equally as heartbreaking and frustrating for me as it is for you, the fans. I understand that I may have disappointed many, but believe me, I will do everything I can to come back even stronger. I will continue to help my team and teammates from the dugout as we press forward into the second half of the season. Thank you for your support.”
Unfortunately, it is another horrific setback in a career that was once on a trajectory to put him with the all-time greats of the game, but in recent years has been defined by injuries. In an eight-year stretch from 2012 to 2020, Trout was recognized as the best player in baseball. In that period, he hit 297 home runs and had a good eye at the plate, drawing walks in 15.4% of his plate appearances. He slashed .306/.421/.587 for a wRC+ of 173 while stealing 197 bases and providing elite defense in center field. FanGraphs considered him to be worth an unbelievable 73 wins above replacement in that time frame, with Cy Young award-winning pitcher Max Scherzer coming in a distant second with 50.4 fWAR. Buster Posey was second among position players with 47.1 fWAR.
Embed from Getty ImagesHowever, Trout has been slowed down to a snail’s pace and significantly hampered by a number of various ailments since that time. In 2021, a right calf strain limited him to just 36 games. The following session, that number rose to 119 games but he still missed a bit of time due to back tightness. Last year, a left hamate fracture allowed him to play in only 82 games.
When he has been available to take the field, he has still been able to lock in and produce at an elite level, and that was still true here in 2024. He began the season on fire, launching 10 long balls and six steals in just 29 games. Despite hitting below the Mendoza line with a .194 batting average on balls in play, he produced a line of .220/.325/.541 for a wRC+ of 137. But due to these chronic knee problems, he will not be able to enhance those stats with the remainder of the schedule.
The news will not have a huge impact on the Angels in 2024. With a record of 47-61, 14-games below .500, they are not in the playoff picture at this point. They recently made some sell-side moves ahead of the deadline, trading veteran players on expired contracts, impending free agents Carlos Estévez and Luis García.
Fans of the team and baseball as a whole, will be hoping that Trout comes back 100% and ready to go next year. The bulk of his injuries have appeared to be mysterious in nature, his continued absences naturally create some concern about the long-term future for the franchise. Even when they had MVP-level Trout on the same roster as Shohei Ohtani, they never got into the playoffs or even finish a season with a winning record. Ohtani is now a Dodger while Trout is going to turn 33 years old in September and has not played 120 games in a season since 2019.
The extension he signed in that same year runs through 2030 and pays him $35.45M annually. Die-hard fans of other teams often dream of getting Trout out of Anaheim via trade, but his rash of injuries will make other teams think twice and put up red flags about taking on all that money for his mid- and late-30s. He also has a full no-trade clause and has expressed a desire to stay and win with the Angels.
