Angels’ Mike Trout Won’t Return from Rib Injury When Eligible to Be Activated from IL

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Los Angeles Angels superstar outfielder Mike Trout will not return from a rib injury when he’s eligible to be activated off the injured list on Monday, per ESPN.

Trout has not played since July 12 due to rib cage inflammation and received a cortisone injection in his back on Thursday, head athletic trainer Mike Frostad revealed Saturday.

“The injection was done into the joint where the rib meets up with the spine,” Frostad said. “So it’s kind of a difficult area to get to and he just has to let that cortisone take effect. He’s doing some stuff right now that doesn’t involve rotation.”

Trout, who has been dealing with the rib ailment since the beginning of the month, has been labeled as day-to-day.

The 30-year-old veteran is enjoying another huge statistical season in 2022, hitting .270/.368/.599 with 24 home runs, 51 RBI and one stolen base in 79 games.

Trout first became recognized as one of baseball’s elite players a decade ago when he won the American League Rookie of the Year award and finished second in AL MVP voting in 2012.

That season began a remarkable run for Trout, who has since been named an All-Star nine times, won three AL MVP awards and eight Silver Slugger awards.

Trout also finished fifth or better in the MVP voting in nine straight years from 2012 to 2020. That included four second-place finishes in addition to his three MVP wins.

The only thing that has held back Trout at all during his career is a history of injuries, particularly since 2017.

After appearing in at least 157 games in four straight seasons from 2013 to 2016, Trout missed at least 22 games in four of the next five campaigns.

Trout was limited to 114 games in 2017 because of a thumb injury and played in just 36 games last season after suffering a torn calf muscle.

When healthy, Trout has consistently put up MVP-caliber levels of production, as he entered 2022 with six 30-homer and two 40-homer seasons to his credit, as well as three 100-RBI campaigns and three seasons with 30 or more stolen bases.

Trout is paramount to the Angels’ success, and it speaks volumes about the supporting cast around him that the Angels have largely struggled as a team in recent years even with him in the fold.

There is no replacing a player of Trout’s stature, but if he misses time, the Angels will need even more offensively out of 2021 MLB MVP Shohei Ohtani, as well as the likes of Jared Walsh and Taylor Ward.