Los Angeles Angels right fielder Mike Trout, out for three weeks due to a bone bruise on his surgically repaired left knee, provided an encouraging update about his progress on Tuesday.
The three-time American League MVP said he felt fine after jogging on the field Monday in West Sacramento, Calif., where the Angels are facing the Athletics this week.
“I came out, I feel good,” he said, according to MLB.com. “I’m really excited with where I’m at right now. We’re upping the intensity and there’s no soreness.”
Trout, who was hurt while lunging to touch first base as he tried to beat out an infield grounder on April 30, has no timetable for a return to action.
“I just trust what they tell me,” he said of the Angels’ medical staff. “They’ve got a routine for me every day, just building it up and hopefully to get running the bases here. I think running the bases is a big hurdle. Just have to make sure I come in and don’t have any crazy soreness.”
Injuries have slowed what began as an all-time-great career. Trout played no more than 82 games in three of the past four seasons, topping out at 119 games in 2022. Earlier in his career, he was rarely sidelined, averaging 144.9 games per year from 2012-19, and he played 53 of the team’s 60 games in the COVID-shortened 2020 campaign.
After switching from center field to right field this year, Trout was batting just .179 with a .264 on-base percentage when he got hurt. However, he was hitting for power, as he had a .462 slugging percentage, nine homers and 18 RBIs in 29 games.
Trout, an 11-time All-Star, owns a career batting line of .297/.408/.579 with 387 homers, 972 RBIs and 214 stolen bases in 1,547 games over 15 seasons.
