Trout nearing next steps, looking forward to return

ANAHEIM -- Angels superstar Mike Trout has started light baseball activities and said he’s getting closer to running on the field and hitting in the cages, which are the next steps in his recovery from surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee.

Trout, speaking before Saturday’s walk-off 6-5 win over the Tigers in 10 innings at Angel Stadium, played catch and has been jogging on an AlterG treadmill, which reduces the impact on his knee. Trout said he’s excited about where he’s at in his rehab process. It feels like he’s finally turning the corner and not dealing with as much soreness in his knee. He admitted it’s taken a bit longer than he expected and there’s no exact timetable for his return, but he’d like to be back before the end of July.

“I feel really good ramping things up,” Trout said. “I'm happy where I'm at right now. It makes me feel relieved. I’m not putting an exact timetable on it. But once I can do all the tests and run, hit and throw, I’ll be out there.”

Trout, a three-time AL MVP in 2014, ’16 and ’19, said he dealt with overwhelming soreness in his knee as part of the rehab process a few weeks ago, but it subsided with time. He believes he could swing the bat without any issues right now, but the biggest step will be progressing to running on the treadmill and then on the field. He said he only gets slightly sore when overdoing it, but it is much more manageable.

“The problem was I wanted to strengthen it around it, but I was doing exercises to try to do that and it was making it really sore,” Trout said. “But now I'm able to progress on that and do exercises without any soreness. It’s been great. I’m jogging and I’ve done little stuff like play catch with no pain. I haven't hit yet. The biggest thing for me is just the running part.”

Trout, 32, is behind veteran Anthony Rendon in his recovery process. Rendon suffered a high-grade partial tear of his hamstring on April 30, but has been running on the field and taking batting practice with his teammates. Rendon started baseball activities in early June and is targeting a return on July 8 after the club’s six-game road trip in Oakland and Chicago next week.

Trout is likely to have a similar build-up before returning, so he’s expected to need roughly a month to get back once he gets on the field and starts more strenuous baseball activities. Manager Ron Washington said he can tell Trout is getting closer because of his attitude and excitement about where he’s at.

“He's feeling much better,” Washington said. “His legs look strong. He's got a normal gait now. So it's just a matter of when we're going to get him out here and let him start taking a pounding.”

Trout said he’s unsure if he’ll need a rehab assignment and hasn’t thought about how much he’ll need to serve as a designated hitter once he returns. Trout has never been a fan of DHing but understands it could help him ease back into action.

But he said it’s frustrating that he’ll have to miss the All-Star Game again due to injury. He’s an 11-time All-Star and had been voted in as a starter for 10 straight seasons before that streak was snapped this year, as he wasn’t one of the finalists for the outfield in the American League. He was the MVP of the Midsummer Classic in both 2014 and '15 but hasn't played in it since 2019 because of various injuries.

“It's disappointing,” Trout said. “It’s out of my control. I just look forward to getting back and finishing the season strong.”

Trout, though, has been pleased with how the club has played in his absence, especially recently. The Angels extended their winning streak to six games on Saturday and are 15-10 in June. Young players such as Logan O’Hoppe, Zach Neto and Nolan Schanuel continue to make strong impressions. Trout said it only makes him want to get back even more to contribute down the stretch.

“I’m itching to get out there, for sure,” Trout said. “It’s fun to watch. It’s all coming together with the younger guys. It’s good to see.”