'Trusting the process': Trout taking recovery day by day

ANAHEIM -- Mike Trout is slowly progressing from a torn meniscus injury he suffered in his left knee on April 29 against the Phillies, but it's not happening as quickly as he’d like.

Trout spoke to the media on Tuesday before the Angels 6-3 loss against the Brewers, providing an update on his progress since his surgery in early May.

"It's getting there. It's obviously slower than I thought, but it's my first time with a knee injury," Trout said. "Just trusting the process and taking it day by day."

Trout isn’t running yet, but he’s progressed to jogging and using an elliptical and stationary bike. He hopes to start baseball activities soon and thinks this past week was a turning point, but he needs to "get the strength back" in his knee.

The tricky thing has been finding exercises that don't make the knee ache or irritate the next day. General soreness and pain is a byproduct of this surgery, and since Trout has never dealt with knee issues, he’s trying to determine what pain is normal or abnormal.

Trout said he’s used the experience of others who have gone through this injury and surgery to help him through the process.

“I’ve talked to a lot of people that went through this,” Trout said. “There’s going to be aches and pains when I come back. It’s going to slowly get better.”

The Angels and Trout have not given an official timeline, but players who have had the same operation generally return in four to six weeks. Trout is at that point now, but given the update he provided, he does not appear close to returning to a baseball field.

Trout only played 36 games in 2021 due to a season-ending right calf strain. He played just half a season (82 games) last year after suffering a left hamate fracture last July. Trout tried to return on Aug. 22 before he suffered a setback and ultimately missed the rest of the season.

Trout said his experience with these injuries is helping drive his current rehab and he’s ensuring that he doesn’t rush back too quickly. Trout believes that he may have returned too quickly last season and -- after suffering a setback -- ran out of time to try to return before the season ended.

“I’ve learned from the past. I’m taking it day by day,” Trout said. “I just need to make sure it’s right. I kind of went through it last year when I tried to rush back.”

Trout didn't have any update on when running would begin or when he could return to resuming baseball activities and game action.

It’s undoubtedly been a frustrating stretch of seasons for the Angels superstar. Trout has dealt with various injuries dating back to 2017, but they’ve become much more frequent and serious in recent years. He's only played in 100-plus games once since 2021 (119 games in 2022) and has missed significant time in three of the last four seasons.

Tuesday’s game was relatively uneventful until the Angels stormed a comeback attempt in the ninth inning. Down 6-0, the Angels scored three runs and had two runners on base for Taylor Ward, who represented the tying run. The Angels’ left fielder drilled the ball 384 feet toward the right-center-field wall.

Brewers center fielder Sal Frelick sprawled against the wall and snatched the baseball from over the yellow home run line. It was undoubtedly one of the best home run robberies you’ll ever see, given the game's situation.

“I think it’s just baseball. I wasn’t entirely sure if I got it or not, but it was a hell of a play on his part,” Ward said about the catch.

Less than an hour before first pitch on Tuesday, the baseball world was shaken by the news of the passing of baseball legend Willie Mays. The Hall of Famer, 24-time All-Star and cultural icon in the Black community, passed away at 93.

Angels manager Ron Washington -- one of two Black managers along with the Dodgers’ Dave Roberts -- reflected on Mays’ passing and the significance Mays had on him and the baseball community.

“We’re losing all of our legends. It goes to show you how long this game has been going on. We know he’s a superstar. Baseball will definitely miss him. In the San Francisco area, he was always visible, always available for anybody. We’re going to sorely miss him.”