Special to Sports News Highlights

(SNH) — Leading off second base with the score tied in the bottom of the seventh inning, Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout advanced on a wild pitch by Seranthony Domínguez, scoring teammate Ehire Adrianza.

After watching catcher Garrett Stubbs overthrow the Philadelphia Phillies’ reliever near home plate, Trout hustled home with what proved to be the winning run.

The 11-time AL All-Star helped secure a 6-5, come-from-behind win at Angel Stadium after apparently suffering a torn meniscus in his left knee. Trout’s uncertain when his latest injury occurred. Perhaps it was in the third inning after he led off with a walk but was forced out at second on Jo Adell’s grounder to shortstop Trea Turner.

Trout, later in the game, reported to the team’s training staff that he felt pain in his knee, but played all nine innings, according to ESPN. Trout was nearly in tears when he faced the media recently.

"It's just frustrating," he said. "After the (third) inning was over, I was running into the dugout (and) I felt like a little bit of ache in my knee. Didn't think anything of it. And then I was hitting, running, didn't feel nothing.

“Scoring from second, nothing. It was just after, when I did activity and I sat down and got back up, that's when I started feeling it." 

Considered one of the game's top all-time talents from 2012-19, Trout earned Rookie of the Year honors and three AL Most Valuable Player awards. Since 2020, however, an injury-plagued Trout has appeared in at least 119 games only once.

Big questions remain for Trout and the organization where he wishes to play his entire career. The Angels signed Trout to a near-untradable contract, leaving the organization in a potentially perilous position void of prospects.

As a front-line player, other questions remain. Have injuries and time on the sidelines sidetracked his legacy as potentially one of the best ever? Does he remain a first-ballot Hall of Famer?

Trout out of action again

As the recent game progressed into the later innings, Trout informed the training staff that his soreness was beginning to escalate. The Angles’ pain mounted, as well, considering third baseman Anthony Rendon announced last week he suffered a left hamstring injury.

The storyline has become familiar. From 2021-23, the Angels paid a combined $207.85 million in salaries to their two best players, only to have them play together in 385 of 972 games.

Trout was expected to have surgery last week and could return before August. Through 29 games, he was hitting .220 with an MLB-leading 10 home runs. During his first 10 seasons, Trout only had two trips to the injured reserve. Times have changed.

Here is a list of his recent maladies:

  • 2023: Trout suffered a broken hamate and missed about three months over two IR stints. He initially injured his left hand while swinging a bat and underwent surgery, returning over two months later, but for only one game.
  • 2022: Trout endured “costovertebral dysfunction” and missed over a month. The R&R worked as Trout’s back inflammation healed. He returned four weeks later and hit .308 after Aug. 10.
  • 2021: The play appeared innocent enough. On second base, Trout started running out a two-out pop fly and felt his calf twinge. It ended up being diagnosed as a strain. A series of setbacks forced the Angels to end Trout’s season after 36 games.

Scheduled to turn 33 years old in August, Trout’s contract could become an albatross to the future of the franchise, which has not been to the playoffs since 2014. What can they do with Trout’s mega deal, which runs through 2030? After this season, the Angels are still on the hook for $213 million.

Regardless of what he accomplishes during the remaining life of the contract, Trout is ensured to be enshrined in Cooperstown at some point.

But on the first ballot? His health likely will be the determining factor.

Trade Trout?

The timetable for Trout’s return this season will not be known until after further medical procedures. Four to six weeks could be considered a best-case scenario.

Would Angels owner Arte Moreno entertain trade offers for Trout this offseason or next? Would opposing owners consider making an offer?

From 2012-19, Trout hit .308 with 280 home runs and 196 stolen bases, MLB historians were beginning to compare Trout with center-field icons such as Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays. During the early years of social media, Trout was trending to become the best player in MLB history.

That debate has dissipated over the past three seasons, replaced by discussions of the challenges the Angels’ front office may face if it decides to try and trade Trout to spur a roster rebuild. The Angels (12-22) are fighting the Houston Astros for last place in the AL West.

After whiffing badly during the 2016-19 drafts, the Angels’ farm system needs an influx of young talent. The organization’s minor-league system was ranked No. 30 by MLB.com.

The Angels have more problems than a dearth of prospects and injuries to their two top offensive threats. Defensively, the Angels are second only in the AL to the lowly Chicago White Sox.

Would the Angels receive prize prospects in a potential Trout trade?

Probably not.

The size of the deal and Trout’s recent injury history may require the Angels to absorb the entirety – or a huge percentage – of the deal, with few minor-league players coming back in the exchange.

Trout has been public about his desire to spend his entire career with the Angels.

Considering what the Angels would receive in prospect compensation and the amount of money they could be forced to pay for an opponent to agree to a mega-trade, Trout may get his wish.

Surrounded by what level of talent, though?

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