Stephen A. Smith Blasted by MLB Fans for Insulting Take on Mike Trout’s Injury

Stephen A. Smith Blasted by MLB Fans for Insulting Take on Mike Trout’s Injury

The Los Angeles Angels are without Mike Trout indefinitely due to a torn meniscus in his left knee. The star outfielder was near tears earlier this week while speaking to reporters about the injury, which will force him to miss a considerable amount of time.

While Trout was distraught about the news, ESPN's Stephen A. Smith seemed to make it all a big joke as he tore down the Angels outfielder for having to miss more time due to injury during Wednesday's episode of First Take.

“How the hell is he always hurt?," Smith yelled. "I don’t understand this. It drives me nuts when I see baseball players get hurt. What is it that you’re doing with yourself physically that you can’t stay healthy playing baseball? Now, you get hit by a pitch or something, that’s different, I get all of that. With these oblique injuries, you’re running around bases, catching one, then you’re running out for a fly ball, and all of a sudden, something gets tweaked. What the hell is going on?”

Here's Smith's full rant:

MLB fans were rightfully not impressed with Smith's insulting take on Trout's injury:

Hopefully Trout is able to return soon.

Mike Trout Fights Back Tears When Discussing Knee Injury

Mike Trout Fights Back Tears When Discussing Knee Injury

The Los Angeles Angels are set to be without Mike Trout for an extended period of time after the superstar outfielder was diagnosed with a torn meniscus on Tuesday.

Trout will undergo knee surgery to repair the meniscus tear in the near future, and the team is optimistic that he'll be able to return later in the season.

Trout was emotional and fought back tears while opening up about his disappointment over the latest injury setback on Tuesday, while also explaining how he came to discover the issue to begin with.

"It's just frustrating," said Trout, via Alden González of ESPN.

"It's crazy because, I look back and I don't even know when I did it," he said of the injury, adding that he noticed a slight ache during the third inning of the Angels' 6–5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday.

The 32-year-old said that he had trouble sleeping due to discomfort in the knee, which caused him to get it looked at by the Angels' medical staff. It was then determined he sustained a tear in his meniscus, which will require surgery.

Injuries have been an issue for the three-time AL MVP during the latter stages of his career. Trout has not played more than 119 games in a single season since 2019, and, assuming he misses the mark in 2024, has featured in less than 100 games in three of the last four years.

Trout had gotten off to a torrid start to the season, his 14th in MLB, having launched a league-best 10 home runs to go with 14 RBI and a .867 OPS across 29 games.