'Guy can't catch a break': Trout done for '24 with another tear in knee

ANAHEIM -- Mike Trout will not be returning to a baseball field this season.

Angels general manager Perry Minasian said on Thursday that Trout received an MRI on Wednesday that revealed another tear in the left meniscus that was surgically repaired earlier this year.

“He’s devastated. I was, too,” Minasian said before the Angels' 5-4 loss to the Rockies in 10 innings at Angel Stadium. “I’m not the emotional type but being in the room and hearing the news with him was tough.”

Trout suffered his first tear on April 29 against the Phillies and spent months rehabbing after May 3 surgery. He began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on July 24, when he was removed after two innings due to knee discomfort.

The Angels’ star received a clean MRI last Thursday and was expected to start running shortly after. Trout felt pain in his knee again on Monday, though, which necessitated the follow-up MRI that revealed a new tear, separate from the first one. It is unclear how Trout suffered the second tear.

“Since my initial surgery on May 3rd to repair my meniscus, my rehabilitation proved longer and more difficult than anticipated,” Trout said in a social media post. “After months of hard work, I was devastated yesterday when an MRI showed a tear in my meniscus that will require surgery again -- ending my hopes of returning this season.”

It would be an immense understatement to say that Trout has battled injuries over the last half-decade. Last season, he missed 80 games due to a fractured left hamate. In 2021, he only appeared in 36 games due to a right calf strain. And because of the knee injuries this year, he again finishes with fewer than 50 games played (29).

“Nobody wants to play more. Nobody cares about this building, this fan base, this team more than he does,” Minasian said. “He’s going to come back, have a normal offseason and come back next season and hit 70 home runs and win MVP. Book it.”

It is, quite frankly, a remarkable and unfortunate turn of events for Trout in the latter half of what will almost surely be a Hall of Fame career. From 2012-19, Trout was undeniably the top player in the sport. In that span, he took home three AL MVP awards (2014, ‘16 and ‘19), an AL Rookie of the Year award (2012), seven Silver Slugger awards and was an All-Star every year.

Over that nine-year span, Trout led all players with 70.5 Wins Above Replacement (FanGraphs’ version) -- Max Scherzer was the next-closest player with 48.5 -- as well as an MLB-best 1.009 OPS and .587 slugging percentage. Based on his early-career trajectory, Trout was on pace for one of the most illustrious careers in baseball history.

Then the injuries started to pour in. Trout was dealt his first serious injury in the Majors in 2017 when he suffered a torn ligament in his left thumb while sliding into second base. He stayed relatively healthy from 2018-20 -- spending two weeks on the injured list in 2018 for right wrist inflammation -- before he began missing significant time.

“I think it makes us all speechless. You feel for him more than anyone,” said Angels catcher Logan O’Hoppe, who spoke with Trout on Thursday. “He’s as pissed off as anybody and rightfully so. The guy can’t catch a break. He takes care of his body. It’s not like he doesn’t and then gets hurt and doesn’t do things the right way behind the scenes. He does everything in his power to prevent that. I think that’s the most frustrating part for him.”

Roadmapping a future without Trout as a central piece for the Angels is complicated. Minasian was optimistic about Trout getting healthy over the offseason and coming back next year penciled into the No. 2 or 3 spot in the Angels order.

“I think he’s going to come back with a vengeance,” Minasian said. “I think he’s going to be as good as he’s ever been.”

Minasian would not delve into specifics about how the Angels would handle their star moving forward, whether it’s related to him moving out of center field and spending more time at designated hitter or trying to manage his workload.

Thursday’s news is a big blow for Trout and the Angels alike. It might be just as disappointing for a baseball world at large that has missed out on another full season of a fully healthy Trout on the field.