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Alton Gonzalez
closer
Alton Gonzalez
ESPN staff writer
- ESPN baseball reporter. Covering the LA Rams for ESPN from 2016 to 2018 and the LA Angels for MLB.com from 2012 to 2016.
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Jeff Basson
closer
Jeff Basson
ESPN
- ESPN MLB Insider
Author of “The Arm: Inside the Billion-Dollar Mystery of the Most Valuable Commodity in Sports.”
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Angels superstar Mike Trout is looking to have a fully healthy season after being significantly limited by injury the past three years, requiring knee surgery, general manager Perry Minasian said Tuesday.
Trout has a torn meniscus in his left knee, Minassian said.
The procedure, which is believed to be scheduled for Friday, is not considered season-ending. A source familiar with Trout's injury said a four- to six-week timetable is a best-case scenario, but an actual timeline won't be established until doctors take a closer look.
“It's frustrating, but we'll get through it,” an emotional Trout said in the clubhouse.
Trout pitched a complete game Monday, a 6-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies, and stole a base.
Trout wasn't sure when he sustained the tear, but said he hurt his knee while running from the third inning. The pain wasn't constant during the game, but his knee hurt all night.
Trout, 32, finished first or second in MVP voting in seven of the eight years from 2012 to 2019, putting him on track to become the greatest player in baseball history. But injuries significantly took away playing time coming off 2020's COVID-shortened season.
From 2021 to 2023, Trout played in only 237 of 486 games with injuries to his calf, back and hand. He enters the 2024 season refreshed and hoping to run the bases more freely. Through the Angels' first 29 games, he hit a league-high 10 home runs, the same total he had from 2020 to 2023, but also stole six bases.
Now, he faces another injury rehab.
