ANAHEIM — The progress has been slower than Mike Trout expected. In truth, the Angels star didn’t know what to expect after having surgery to repair a torn meniscus last month.
“It’s my first time with a knee injury (so) I’m trusting the process and taking it day by day,” Trout said before Tuesday’s game against the Milwaukee Brewers. “Obviously slower than I thought.”
Initially it was thought the Angels’ 11-time All-Star center fielder would be sidelined for 4-6 weeks following the May 3 surgery, but that deadline has now passed, and seven weeks after the surgery, Trout continues to experience inflammation in his knee, further delaying his ability to resume baseball activities.
The three-time American League MVP was diagnosed with a torn meniscus on April 30 and underwent surgery three days later.
Trout, however, is not in any rush to return to the lineup before he is completely healthy. The first step is to try running as soon as he gets his strength back.
“I kind of feel that this last week has been a little turning point where I can start ramping it up a little bit and see how it feels,” Trout said. “It’s just (a matter of) trying to find exercises that don’t make it achy the next day or irritate it. Finally figured something out that doesn’t irritate it.”
Trout, 32, last spoke with reporters on May 25 and said then he had progressed to riding a stationary bike and using an elliptical, two activities he continues to do.
“There are things I have to get through,” he said. “I know it’s going to be sore when I first come back. I know a lot of people who have gone through this, and I know there are going to be aches and pains when I come back. It’s slowly going to get better. There is an ache or pain tolerance to know when I come back.”
Manager Ron Washington remains hopeful that Trout can return to the lineup this season. The Angels could use Trout’s baseball savvy and leadership on the field and in the clubhouse.
“He hasn’t been out on the field doing anything yet, but I think soon he will start running,” Washington said. “Once we get to that part of it and he realizes what he can handle and what he can’t handle, we will ramp it up from there. Hopefully in the next few days, he can get out there and start running.”
Still, Trout is trying to be patient and not putting any pressure on himself to return to the Angels’ struggling lineup. The team is batting .239 and at 29-43 languishing near the bottom of the AL standings.
“I’ve learned from the past,” Trout said. “I’m just taking it day-by-day. You can’t put pressure on yourself.
“Obviously, I want to be back here, but I have to be sure it’s right for me. I went through it last year where I tried to come back, and it set me back.”
Trout’s Hall-of-Fame career has stalled since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season due to a series of major injuries. Counting Tuesday night’s game, he has played in only 266 games and missed 293 since the start of the 2021 season. He doesn’t expect this injury to linger as long as his strained calf in 2021 – a confounding setback that kept him out for all but 36 games that season.
Last season, Trout was placed on the injured list after fracturing his left hamate bone fouling off a pitch July 4. He was activated three weeks later but was placed back on the IL the following day because of lingering pain. On Sept. 24, the team announced that Trout would not return, officially ending his season.
Trout said he doesn’t have a target date. “I don’t really look at the schedule. But I’m hoping it’s sooner rather than later.”
Although he’s not playing, Trout continues to attend all the home games and dispense advice to his teammates.
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“He’s a guy who wants to do anything he can to lead his team,” shortstop Zach Neto said. “We need to make sure he’s 100% when he comes back so he doesn’t skip a beat.”
SORIANO DEALING WITH INFECTION
Left-hander Jose Soriano is dealing with an infection in his abdomen and could miss his next scheduled start, according to Washington.
Soriano was scratched from his start on Monday, but Washington said he doesn’t foresee Soriano having to be placed on the injured list.
Soriano had a 2.90 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 37 strikeouts in 49⅔ innings over his last eight starts. He has gone six-plus innings in four straight starts and boasts an elite 60.1% ground ball rate this season.
UP NEXT
Brewers (RHP Freddy Peralta, 4-4, 4.38 ERA) at Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson, 6-6, 2.58 ERA), Wednesday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM