Trout progresses to OF drills before Philly homecoming

PHILADELPHIA -- It was the perfect All-Star break for superstar Mike Trout, who was able to spend time in his hometown of Millville, N.J., and see family and friends while also allowing his left knee to get some much-needed rest.

Trout, a noted Philadelphia sports fan who grew up roughly 45 miles south of the city, met with the media ahead of Friday’s 6-5 win in the series opener against the Phillies at Citizens Bank Park. He took a big step in his recovery from the bone bruise in his twice-surgically repaired left knee before the game, participating in drills in right field. But Trout still doesn’t have a firm timeline on when he’ll be able to return to the outfield, as he’s been serving as designated hitter exclusively since returning on May 30.

“It went good,” Trout said. “It's just like a slow progression to get my feet under me, and then hopefully get back in the outfield soon. I’ll be out there tomorrow shagging and getting reads off the bat. But I haven’t talked to [interim manager] Ray [Montgomery] or anybody about when [the return to the outfield] will be. I think the biggest thing is the stuff all felt good today, but just the load of being out there for nine innings, running in and out -- just how I’d recover from that.”

Trout, a three-time American League MVP and 11-time All-Star, noted the Angels are in a critical stretch heading into the Trade Deadline on July 31. The club went into the break only four games out of the final AL Wild Card spot, and it wants to play well enough to avoid being sellers and possibly even become buyers.

“You've seen what we're capable of doing,” Trout said. “We’ve had some great stretches in the last few weeks. We’ve got to get off to a hot second half. We’ve got to do the little things right: Play solid defense, and when we have runners on base, we’ve got to do our job.”

Trout, 33, went 2-for-5 with a double and an RBI on Friday and is hitting .241/.365/.474 with 17 homers, five doubles and 42 RBIs in 71 games, including a .287/.432/.483 slash line in 42 games since returning from the injured list. He initially sustained the bone bruise running to first base on April 30 and missed exactly one month with the injury.

Trout said he’s itching to get back to right field but is also pleased to at least be hitting given his injury issues in recent years. He didn’t play in the club’s last trip to Philadelphia in 2023 because of a fractured hamate bone in his left hand and previously had only played at the ballpark in 2014 and ’22.

“I'm just happy to be in the lineup and contributing,” Trout said. “In years past, it was just coming to the ballpark to rehab and not being able to hit. That was frustrating for me. But it is what it is. So hopefully get out in the outfield here soon.”

Montgomery said it was a good sign to see Trout doing early work in the outfield and that if he can play right field, it’ll be a big boost for the Angels. It will allow others such as Jorge Soler or even Logan O’Hoppe, Jo Adell or Taylor Ward to serve as DH to get them off their feet but keep them in the lineup.

“It's a great sign any time he's on the field, let alone in the outfield, and if he feels like he's up for the work and out there doing it, I feel good about it,” Montgomery said. “We'll take it slow and we'll be smart. But No. 1, he's really good out there. No offense to anybody who goes out there in his place, but he's a weapon in the outfield. And two, it just gives us more flexibility, one through nine, and can give guys a blow.”

Trout is also nearing a few impressive milestones, as he's both five homers short of 400 for his career and four RBIs short of 1,000. The Yankees’ Giancarlo Stanton is the only active player in the Majors with at least 400 homers, while Trout would become the ninth active player with at least 1,000 RBIs.

“It's pretty special to think about,” Trout said. “Just how fast it's going. This is year 15. I’m just trying to enjoy every minute of it. And the milestones are awesome, and I look forward to hopefully getting them.”