If you love baseball, you hate to see what’s happening with Mike Trout.
The 32-year-old hasn’t appeared in a game for the Angels since all the way back on April 29, when he tore a meniscus in his left knee. At the time of the ailment, Trout was looking extremely good in the batter’s box. In 126 plate appearances, the former All-Star was managing a massive .321 ISO with a .406 expected wOBA that was his highest in a couple seasons. It did not seem like those 126 plate appearances would be Trout’s only opportunity in 2024.
Trout was expected back some time after the All-Star break. As such, the outfielder did begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on June 24. He was in the lineup as a DH, yet was still unable to make it all the way through the contest. Trout was removed due to left knee discomfort. A few days later, Trout had an MRI that apparently did not reveal anything concerning. That was proven to be a lie on Thursday, with the announcement that Trout has suffered another meniscus tear.
It’s difficult to put into words just how historically dominant the first eight seasons of Trout’s career are. Trout was Rookie of the Year in 2012. He’s won three American League MVP awards. He led all qualified hitters in baseball in OPS+ in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019. He was an absolute phenom. Since that point? Trout has appeared in only 319 games and logged 1,171 at-bats. He remains a sure-fire Hall of Fame player in my book, yet milestones like 500 home runs now seem more unlikely than they ever have before. After all, age comes for us all and Trout will turn 33 next week.
As for the Angels, this news changes very little outside of ticket sales. The team is +35000 to win the AL West and +2500 to make the playoffs on the DraftKings Sportsbook. They started the day bad and they will end the day worse.
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
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All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.
