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.