Trout gets back in swing of things after early return from IL

CLEVELAND -- Mike Trout is back.

The Angels star was activated from the 10-day injured list Friday ahead of Los Angeles' 4-1 win in the series opener in Cleveland. Batting fifth and starting at designated hitter in his first game since April 30 at Seattle, Trout went 1-for-5 with a single.

“Welcome back, Mike,” manager Ron Washington said. “I think he had a good game. He hit the ball hard three times today, and they made some good pitches to him.”

Washington planned on bringing the three-time American League MVP off the IL on Monday in Boston, but Trout said the pain caused by a bone bruise in his left knee had subsided enough for him to play against the Guardians.

Trout was 1-for-3 with a strikeout against Guardians starter Luis L. Ortiz, struck out against Tim Herrin in the seventh and grounded out to shortstop in the ninth against Cade Smith.

“I had the two strikeouts, but other than that, I thought I hit all right,” said Trout, who missed 26 games. “I caught myself getting excited in the last at-bat, so I had to calm myself down a little bit. It felt good to be back.”

Trout posted a career-low .179 batting average with a .726 OPS, nine home runs, 18 RBIs and two stolen bases over 29 games before being hurt. He was placed on the IL retroactive to May 1 after hurting his twice-surgically repaired knee while awkwardly stepping on first base at T-Mobile Park in Seattle on April 30.

The 33-year-old lightly ran the bases Tuesday, faced live pitching Wednesday and woke up with no major physical issues Thursday. Trout also slid into second base during his return and jumped back up without significant pain.

“Mike is the heart of this organization, not just the team or the clubhouse,” catcher Logan O’Hoppe said. “I’m happy to have our heart back. And obviously, I think he can help us.”

The only restriction Washington placed on Trout was not allowing him to attempt to steal bases, but he wants him “to use his instincts” and run the bases “a little more” aggressively. Washington did temporarily drop him two spots in the batting order.

In turn, Trout asked for a delayed return to the outfield as he hasn’t taken fielding practice in two months. His manager agreed to have him DH in all three games in Cleveland.

“Once I feel good enough, I’ll be back in right,” said Trout, who is hitting .273 as a designated hitter and .141 as a right fielder this season. “My swing has been feeling really good, and I had a good live BP. That’s kind of been my game before the game most days.”

If he can stay on the field, Trout provides a major reinforcement for an Angels team that snapped a five-game losing streak on Friday. He’ll be another big bat in a lineup led by shortstop Zach Neto and O’Hoppe.

Outfielder Matthew Lugo was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake as the corresponding move.