One could make a legitimate argument that, at his best, Mike Trout is better than any player in the history of Major League Baseball. Unfortunately for fans, they haven’t seen a full season of Trout at his best since 2019.
The 32-year-old Angels outfielder is officially out for the rest of the 2024 season after playing just 29 games, Los Angeles general manager Perry Minasian confirmed on Thursday, August 1.
Trout said he is “devastated” by the meniscus tear that will sideline him until 2025.
“Since my initial surgery on May 3rd to repair my meniscus, my rehabilitation proved longer and more difficult than anticipated,” Trout wrote in a statement posted via X on Thursday. “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.”
Trout ends the season with a .220 batting average but 10 home runs in 109 at bats and an .867 OPS. He will miss 133 games in 2024, bringing his total up to 389 games missed since 2020.
Injuries have plagued Trout for years. It started with a calf strain in 2021 and back inflammation in 2022. Then in 2023, it was a broken hamate, before he suffered his first meniscus tear in April 2024.
“Playing and competing is a huge part of my life,” Trout’s statement continued. “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.”
There’s Reason to Believe Mike Trout Can Come Back Strong
With Trout now in his 30s and amid a stretch of horrid injury luck, the easy assumption is that the three-time MVP is finished.
Don’t be so sure.
For one thing, in the games Trout has played, he has continued to mash the ball like always. Since the 2021 season, he has a .951 OPS with 76 home runs and a .276 batting average.
For another, the second torn meniscus that Trout suffered this July was the first time an injury has recurred. That 2022 back injury could have been a major red flag — back injuries are notorious for lingering and popping back up — but he came back that very season and hit .308 over his last 40 games. The back hasn’t been an issue since.
Trout called his 2023 hamate injury “a freak thing” that happened on a swing as he fouled a ball back. He noted at the time that “some guys [with the same injury] came back in four weeks. Some guys took longer.”
With an entire offseason now to properly rehab the meniscus, the hope is Trout can heal 100%.
Mike Trout’s Hall of Fame Resume
Trout probably locked up a Hall of Fame selection by the time he was 27. In only eight full seasons to that point, he was an eight-time All-Star, AL Rookie of the Year, three-time AL MVP and seven-time Silver Slugger.
He also led the league in on-base percentage four years in a row, OPS+ five years in a row, slugging percentage three times, runs scored four times, and intentional walks three times. He accumulated 72.5 bWAR in that time, leading baseball in that category five straight years from 2012-16.
There is just one glaring blank space on his resume: October. Trout has played in one postseason series in his career, a three-game ALDS sweep at the hands of the Kansas City Royals in his age 22 season (2014). Most of that is on the Angels, who have consistently failed to field competitive teams around Trout and, when they had him, Shohei Ohtani.
But rings still matter. It won’t keep Trout out of the Hall of Fame — that ship has sailed. But it could in any sort of GOAT discussion, particularly if Trout comes back stronger as he said he hopes to do.
Trout is under contract with the Angels through 2030, his age 38 season.
Comments
Angels Outfielder Mike Trout ‘Devastated’ by Latest Injury Setback