The Los Angeles Angels made some changes in hopes of ending a decade-long playoff drought and keeping their franchise slugger healthy.
So far, they haven’t seemed to work.
After bringing in win-now veterans like Kenley Jansen, Jorge Soler and Yusei Kikuchi, the team seemed to be willing to increase its payroll, at least slightly, in order to assemble a winning season. And after four straight years with superstar Mike Trout hitting the injured list, the team moved him to right field in hopes it would help him stay healthy.
But going into Saturday, the Angels have a 12-19 record and Trout is once again on the IL after sustaining a bone bruise in his left knee.
On Friday, Trout broke his silence on the latest injury update.
“Talking to doctors, I’ve had two meniscuses shaved down, and I just hit it perfectly on the bag,” he said, per ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez. “Both bones hit each other, and I bruised both of them.”
Despite his frequent injuries, Trout also noted some optimism that he could be back on the field without a prolonged stretch. But he acknowledged that he’d have to dial it back on the basepaths moving forward.
It has become clear that Trout will have to make some kind of change on the field to avoid continuous injuries.
“Trout seemed to chalk the injury up to a freak play and not the result of a chronic issue he will continually have to monitor,” Gonzalez wrote. “But last year’s surgeries have left Trout with less cushion in his left knee, altering joint mechanics and resulting in increased bone contact, making him more susceptible to these types of injuries.”
As a result, Angels manager Ron Washington noted that the team is considering moving Trout out of the outfield and into a designated hitter role as much as possible.
“That decision we’ll make when we sit down and talk to him and have him involved in that decision,” Washington said. “If for some reason that’s the case, he’ll get the DH slot. I’m not going to deny it to him.”
More MLB: Dodgers make Yoshinobu Yamamoto decision during stellar Braves game