ANAHEIM -- Angels superstar Mike Trout is still dealing with some soreness in his left knee, which has kept him from playing right field since his return from the injured list three weeks ago, but it hasn’t affected his ability to impact games as a designated hitter.
Trout, who suffered a bone bruise in his twice-surgically repaired left knee on April 30, returned on May 30 and has hit .291/.400/.418 with three homers, a double and 10 RBIs in 22 games. He had a tough day in Sunday’s 8-7 loss to the Astros, going 0-for-5, including three strikeouts and lining out to center field to end the game with a runner on second, but Trout said he’s been feeling good overall since his return.
“I’ve been feeling great, but today I was just a little antsy and jumpy,” Trout said. “I felt like that a little bit last night, but my last at-bat I felt good. Sometimes you try to do too much and get out of your swing, but that last one, they just caught it.”
Trout, 33, said the biggest issue is starting and stopping while running, like he did at Yankee Stadium on Wednesday. He hit a line drive off the base of the wall over Aaron Judge’s head but was held to a single, and he said he felt it while coming to a halt between first and second. But he remained in the game and hasn’t had any issues since.
“I felt it a little bit when I hit that one off the wall and had to stop,” Trout said. “I obviously wanted to get a double off that and get into scoring position. But it’s just one of those things where when I had to stop, I felt it a little bit. But the last few games, it’s been feeling pretty good.”
Trout, though, showed off his wheels in Saturday’s 9-1 win over the Astros, scoring from first on a double to right field from Taylor Ward. He reached home in 10.7 seconds, getting to 27.7 feet per second, which is a good sign from him.
“It was good,” said bench coach Ray Montgomery, who is filling in for Ron Washington as he deals with a health issue. “I was glad we actually sent him. It’s probably more difficult to stop when he gets going. But he seemed fine afterwards. Hasn't expressed anything to me.”
Montgomery added that there’s no exact timetable for Trout to return to right field but that Trout is eager to get back out there. He’s just being smart about his knee because he doesn’t want to suffer any setbacks.
“I don't know the answer on the date,” Montgomery said. “I'm not going to put a date on when that would be. Obviously he's doing the same type of work he was doing, but just having him in the lineup is the important thing now, and we'll see how it goes with the defensive stuff. It's limited now, but I think in his mind, there's a progression coming, and he's going to take it day by day.”
Trout, a three-time AL MVP and 11-time All-Star, has still had a big role in the club’s recent success, even as a designated hitter. The Angels are 12-10 since his return and remain just a few games out of an American League Wild Card spot.
“It’s immeasurable,” Montgomery said. “Just the fact that he's here and participating and what he brings to the lineup. We know what it's like to game plan for somebody like him. I think it just rubs off on everybody.”
Trout has historically not enjoyed serving as DH because he likes to be in the field, but he has found a better routine over the last few weeks. He has a career .233/.384/.411 slash line in 109 games as a DH compared to .304/.414/.598 line in 1,340 games as a center fielder.
“I like being engaged,” Trout said. “It’s a little different not having defense on your mind. But I’ve just been trying to stay loose and hit in the cage.”
Trout, who ranked third among AL outfielders in the All-Star Game balloting last week, remains optimistic that he’ll get back out there soon. But for now, he’s focusing on helping the team at the plate and on the bases until he’s cleared for more outfield work.
“It’s still a little achy,” Trout said. “If I get a couple days where it feels good, I’ll get back out there just to move around a little bit. It's been better the last week or so.”