ANAHEIM -- Angels superstar Mike Trout, who exited Wednesday's 9-3 loss to the Mariners early after jamming his surgically repaired left knee on a sprint to first base, will be placed on the 10-day injured list with a bone bruise, manager Ron Washington said after Thursday’s 10-4 loss to the Tigers.
Trout underwent testing on the knee that revealed no structural damage. But the bone bruise was enough to land him on the IL yet again, as he’s struggled to stay healthy in recent seasons. He’s scheduled to talk to reporters before Friday’s game against Detroit.
“He has a bone bruise so we’re going to put him on the IL,” Washington said. “It’s not significant. But he needs rest.”
Trout had gone 1-for-2 to start his day on Wednesday. In the third inning, he got jammed on a 94.2 mph sinker from Emerson Hancock and cued it the other way before bolting down the line at 29.7 ft./sec. -- his fastest sprint speed of the season -- but had to stretch a bit while lunging to the base.
Trout went back out to right field for the bottom of the third, but when his spot in the order came up next, with two on and two out in the fourth, Washington sent Jo Adell out to hit in his spot.
After the game, Trout said that he felt all right coming back into the dugout after the play itself, but when he went out to right field, it started to feel “weird.”
After leaving the game, Trout was able to get checked by a doctor and undergo basic tests, all of which Trout said came back clean. Combined with ice and pulsed electromagnetic field therapy, Trout said he already felt improvement by the time the game ended.
The three-time MVP has a .173/.261/.462 slash line in 29 games this season and had played in all of the club’s games until Thursday. His nine home runs are tied for fourth in the Majors.
The Angels don’t have an obvious replacement for Trout, with their options including first basemen/outfielders Ryan Noda and Niko Kavadas. Outfield prospect Matthew Lugo is off to a slow start, while it would be surprising to see them bring up No. 1 prospect Christian Moore despite the 22-year-old finally starting to heat up at the plate. Moore is an infielder, and they’d like to see him continue to stay hot at Double-A Rocket City.
Jorge Soler started in right field Thursday and is the most likely player to see time at that position in Trout’s absence. Gustavo Campero, who was called up on Tuesday, also adds depth there.
It’s an untimely injury scare for Trout, who has reached the 100-game threshold in just one of the previous four seasons. His blazing start to the 2024 season was cut short exactly one year and one day ago with a torn meniscus in his left knee; he recovered from that injury in time to begin a rehab assignment in July, but only played two innings of it before feeling more discomfort, and further testing revealed another, separate tear that ultimately ended his season.