Mike Trout continues to feel soreness in his right calf, and after almost three and half months on the injured list, it remains to be seen when or if the Angels superstar might return to action in 2021. Angels manager Joe Maddon told The Los Angeles Times’ Jack Harris and other reporters that “it’s a possibility” that Trout might be shut down for the remainder of the season.
“We’re probably getting closer to having to say something like that,” Maddon said. “But he still wants to continue to fight, and we’re going to honor his wishes. However Mike sees this, we’re going to go with it that way.”
As one might expect, neither Trout or the Angels want to move forward with a minor league rehab assignment while the outfielder continues to deal with lingering discomfort in his calf. Trout hasn’t been able to get to that next step of being entirely pain-free, as his calf soreness has persisted after Trout has taken part in baseball activities for several weeks now.
The Angels are all but officially out of the playoff hunt, with a 65-67 record and 9.5 games back of a wild card berth. It isn’t as if Trout is trying to rush back for a pennant race, though Maddon implied that Trout simply wanted to clear the hurdle of his return now rather than wait until Opening Day 2022 to appear in his next big league game. “The biggest thing about it right now is his mental well-being, how he feels about now and going into the offseason. That’s the most important thing, and then how it plays into next year,” Maddon said.
As much as Trout might want to return, however, Maddon noted “there’s got to be that moment where we have to start being realistic about it, where we may just have to say, ’That’s it.’ ” Considering all the time Trout has missed, it would certainly seem like he’d need at least a week of minor league rehab games to ramp up, and the Angels might require a few days of soreness-free workouts prior to such a rehab assignment just to ensure that Trout has fully put his calf injury behind him.
That would leave late September as the most optimistic timeline for when Trout might be able to return, giving Trout perhaps a week or two of games to put a coda on what was shaping up as another huge season. Trout was hitting .333/.466/.624 over his first 146 plate appearances, with a 192 wRC+ that stood as the highest of his incredible career. If Trout indeed doesn’t play again this year, 2021 will go down as the shortest season of his career, with only 36 games played.
Ully
The fans need the Trout back swimmingly.
Mattimeo09
Ah because Mike likes to swim!!!
Hahahahahaha
aragon
he has a huge pool at his house.
dirkg
Seems like you’re floundering for a Trout pun.
Chief Two Hands
Puns are always terrible.
luvbeisbol
Will he ever play again? Rest isn’t helping
BasedBall
He might be done.
Angels should trade him before his contract becomes unmovable.
Dodgers have Cody Bellinger and prospects to offer.
Ohtani-san
Your mom is done. And you can keep that stoned ass Bellinger in that trash hole, I mean ravine.
ShootyBabbit
As a lifelong Angels fan, this is not good news
hd-electraglide
It is bad news for all of baseball, whether you’re an Angels fan or not. I’ve seen the greats from the 50’s to now, and he is in the top 5 in my opinion. Certainly hope he can overcome this and return to playing.
Hosmer for HOF
This is ridiculous. 100% he isn’t missing the postseason. You’re telling me he isn’t even valuable as the 26th man to pinch hit .300+ off the bench in the clutch and be subbed out for a pinch runner? Maybe he can’t start or DH but there’s no such injury for a calf to lead to this. Never seen it never will.. And look this is someone who’s not a doctor but the lifelong repercussions of further damaging your calf muscle is probably the least tenuous of any leg muscle. Knee/ankle/feet: sure. Calf you can kinda get away with. He’s not gonna be a 30/30 guy forever. Play on.
Mattimeo09
First of all your username doesn’t lead me to believe you know anything about baseball.
Second, you lost the rest of your credibility when you admitted you weren’t a doctor (we could’ve guessed that anyway).
Third, no baseball player is ever 100% healthy. If it hurts enough for Mike Trout to say “I probably shouldn’t keep playing through this” I’d trust his judgement over some anonymous commentator
glooney1
Obviously you’ve never had a calf injury. After swinging, the initial step out of the batters box probably puts the most stress on your calf. Then to run to first just puts that much more strain on the muscle. Just what he needs, to put more damage on the muscle to get the team to .500.
IronBallsMcGinty
Yeah, but you almost can’t help but wonder. Young, strong and overall healthy guy besides calf soreness. Been playing baseball most of his life so naturally works out constantly and maintains a proper diet etc. Having access to top notch medical care and is still dealing with this for months? I’m not making any assumptions but if I’m the gm or owner and I’ve invested that much money into the best player in MLB then I gotta start looking into my training and medical staff.
Appalachian_Outlaw
The LAA aren’t making the postseason, so without being a doctor I can tell you with 100% certainty he is missing the postseason.
As for the rest, I’ll trust the medical professionals opinions.
BPG86
Hate to break it to you, but the Angels aren’t making the postseason.
rct
@Hosmer for HOF: ‘This is ridiculous. 100% he isn’t missing the postseason.’
You’re surely trolling, but from the article you’re commenting on:
‘The Angels are all but officially out of the playoff hunt, with a 65-67 record and 9.5 games back of a wild card berth.’
Only way he ‘100% isn’t missing the postseason’ is if he buys a ticket and watches from the stands.
downsr30
The guy is the definition of greatness in this game, but unfortunately it looks like nagging injuries are going to hold him back the second half of his career.
astick
He has missed significant time over the last five years now. He is so awesome that is disappointing to hear.
astick
Before I’m attacked, 53 of 60 games plays out to less than 90% of the season. When you’re the best, that’s not optimal.
Halo11Fan
A stick, you should be attacked. His wife had a child and we were in the midst of a pandemic. That’s a great example of knowledge without wisdom or perspective.
astick
You’re inspiring.
Mattimeo09
Not trying to attack you bro, but missing 7 games over roughly 8 weeks isn’t really significant time.
He definitely has had his share of injuries in the past though and that’s probably not going to decrease with age.
astick
Fair. Still doesn’t negate the original point of the last 5 years.
JoeBrady
I was going to say the same thing. 2020 doesn’t count for much. But in the three previous seasons, he averaged 129 games, and that does way down after this year.
Halo11Fan
And this is the only injury that is troubling. The foot tumor is not going to appear again. His brother in law won’t die again. He wears a protective sliding pad and he won’t dislocate his thumb again.
This injury was troubling when he wasn’t close to coming back six weeks after it happened. The other time away is not the least bit troubling…baseball wise.
astick
I agree. But a calf issue can be chronic and lead to other injuries by compensation.
Aaron 13
Which is why they are being extremely cautious in bringing him back.
Aaron 13
I don’t know what your definition of “significant time” is, but yes in 2021 he has missed significant time. In 2017 he missed significant time because he broke his thumb sliding into 2nd base and had to miss 6 weeks. In 2020 he missed 7 of the 60 games played because his wife had a baby during a pandemic.
In 2018 he missed 22 games, and in 2019 he missed 29 games. As JoeBrady pointed out without looking very deep into it, yes that does work out to a 129 game average from 2017-2019, but in 2017 he only played 114 games due to that broken thumb.
In 2018-2019 he had two different absences of a handful of games due to non-baseball related things. So, there is no trend of nagging injuries here, as much as Trout haters REALLY, REALLY want there to be one….
30 Parks
We can stop the Mantle comparisons now.
mitchladd
Considering all of the time the Mick missed due to injury I would say that this actually makes the comparison better.
Badfinger
Mick played in approx 85% of the games on the Yankees schedule during his career. Trout has played in approx 76% of Angels games.
mitchladd
Trout’s career also isn’t over.
30 Parks
Trout hasn’t retired? It’s hard to tell at times. Appreciate the heads-up.
ABCD
It’s 83% for Trout assuming he misses the rest of the season. He was only up for 55 games in 2011 and spent another 20 games in the minors in 2012.
Prunella Vulgaris
Mantle played every game in pain. He had to tape both legs every day before he could take the field.
30 Parks
Through the first part of Trout’s career, yes. The last 4-5 years separate the two. Look at the numbers.
mitchladd
you’re absolutely right about his games missed and there being way too many of them. I guess I’m just trying to be optimistic that hopefully between a combination of off days and DH games that there’s still a chance for us to see him at his best for a significant period going forward since he’s still just barely 30. Imagine what guys like Mantle could’ve done with the DH around to keep their bodies fresh.
mitchladd
I hate to say this because of how good he is defensively but he’s going to need to start taking more days off if they’re going to keep him in the line up everyday. If I’m the angels I might looking into a Chris Owings type that plays the outfield and kills lefties as someone that can give him the occasional breather at DH while helping lengthen the line up some.
dirkg
Or lose some muscle weight. He needs to lean out a bit now in his 30s. He doesn’t need to look like a running back.
SwingtheFNbat
Hate to break it to you, but as long as they have Ohtani, that’s a 2 year guarantee thru 2023. Trout will not be DH’ing. On the bright side, they already have Marsh for CF, and just might bump him to left in a couple years.
STLBirds86
Shut down until you get a good team around him.. What a waste of someone’s prime.
lady1959
He might as well retire now then ⚾️
Mystery Team
Soft.
Lloyd Emerson
Have you felt him? Did he feel like Charmin?
Mattimeo09
I think Mystery was describing a medical issue he’s had for awhile.
It’s ok Mystery, just take a blue pill and no one will ever know 😉
Joe says...
Maybe he’s just nervous.
dirkg
I think he just got out of the swimming pool.
madmanTX
Is a peg leg an option?
AHH-Rox
Only if they trade him to the Pirates.
DarkSide830
this contract is aging HORRIBLY
RyÅnWKrol
Over the last few years I was beginning to worry about how hard he still runs as he approached 30. I think holding back a bit on the bases is going to the solution to staying healthy.
tesseract
It is a disgrace that despite having two of the most exciting players in baseball in Trout and Ohtani the Angels have no clue on how to put a roster together to even make it to the playoffs year after year.
Halo11Fan
Right like the Cubs of the sixties and the Ms who had ARod, Johnson and Edgar. Or a dozen other teams. I don’t think you know the definition of disgrace.
tesseract
Except Trout and Ohtani combined are worth like a full roster of average players. Which the rest of the Angels aren’t. But feel free to keep supporting your billionaire owner throw money around to over age players.
Halo11Fan
Ohtani has been Ohtani for one season.
dirkg
The drafting of all pitchers in this last draft reflects their acknowledgment of what you’re saying. It’s not 1995 anymore; you can’t go out and consistently buy pitching. It’s too expensive. The bulk of your pitching must come from the farm system. Then you can add a free agent here or there. The As and Rays are masters at this and kicking everyone’s arses in the meantime.
Appalachian_Outlaw
It sounds weird to say, but I think it’s the dilemma of having Trout and Ohtani. You’ve got two magnificent talents. Trout is a generational type player. You can’t waste that developing prospects now, but it’s also hard to buy nearly an entire pitching staff in FA. What do you do?
dirkg
Yeah it’s not like they can wait around for their pitching to mature. If I were Perry, I’d shore up the defense up the middle by signing a defensive minded SS (ironically that was supposed to be Iglesias) and have Marsh play CF. Trout moves to LF and Adell is in RF. Rendon is back at 3B, Fletcher at 2B, and Walsh at 1B. Bring back Stassi at C. So really the only big position player move is a defensive SS.
Pie in the sky, if you can get a Scherzer for 2 years (or Verlander for 1), go for it. Bring back Cobb. Bring back Canning but tell him we’re only going to need your best 5 innings a night.
Then dump every cent left on the books into the bullpen. Overpay and over sell if you have to. The success of the Angels squad lies in their bullpen. Invest heavily.
Halo11Fan
Stassi isn’t a free agent until 2023. I don’t think Verlander is likely to be good. Other than that, spot on.
Longboarder
The game has changed. Can you imagine Lou Gherig missing 3 months with a sore calf? Trout makes how much money? SOFT comes to mind.
Halo11Fan
Could you imagine Gehrig playing CF?
ABCD
Maybe he’s having mental health problems. You could read it that way from the Maddon quote.
tstats
How did you get that? Genuinely curious
ABCD
“The biggest thing about it right now is his mental well-being, how he feels about now and going into the offseason. That’s the most important thing, and then how it plays into next year,”
I’m probably reading too much into it.
JoeBrady
I think he was trying to say that it would be better for Trout to play a few healthy games before the off-season sets in. It is always better to think health issues are behind you.
But it was kind of a strange way to phrase it.
ctguy
Just let Trout heal through the off season. Hopefully he can start next season 100% physically. It’s not like the Angels have a legitimate shot at the playoffs. No need to push him at this point.
TribeAllTheTime
That was pretty much the same thing I was going to comment. Hope he recovers in the offseason and returns in 2022 healthy. He deserves a postseason run, am I right?
CravenMoorehead
Having Mike Trout play again at this point in the season is like deciding to drive a Porsche in snowy weather.
Angels & NL West
The Angels have made some colossal mistakes in recent off-seasons – Harvey, Lincecum, Quintana, Cahill, Claudio, etc – and paid a hell’ish price in the standings as a result.
Having said that, they are closer than people think. Drafting 20 pitchers in June made headlines, but the Angels have drafted dozens of arms the past several years and they are starting to bubble up to the major league level.
Starting next season the Angels future pitching staffs will largely consist of internally developed, cost controlled arms rather than a bevy of inexpensive innings eaters and turn around candidates.
A steady stream of internal pitching options supplemented by a key acquisition or two is what many Angels fans have been clamoring for… and the day has arrived.
Sealbeach Comber
I feel bad for saying this….but the timing of Trout’s injury seems curious. He was fine, then his buddy and mentor was sent packing. He gave an emotional interview about it and then he acquired a nagging injury that has kept him out since them (and probably for the rest of the season).
The_Voice_Of_REASON
I don’t put that past him for a second based on his laughable overreaction to Pujols finally being cut (who was a terrible clubhouse presence). Would be a terrible reflection on Trout if that’s what’s happening. His skills are in freefall, regardless- only his batting has remained consistent. His overall game (durability, stolen bases, and fielding) is a shadow of what it was 2012-2016. He is definitely no longer in his prime and he’s now a top 10 type of player rather than the far and away best player in the game. And given his age, he could easily lose the top 10 thing very soon, too- he could easily be a 4 WAR type of player 2-3 years from now.
Murphi Kennedy
If it makes anyone feel better Tim Salmon Missed 2001 with foot surgery came back in 2002 and the angels won the World Series