Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has suffered another injury. On Aug. 1, Trout and the Angels announced he again tore the meniscus in his left knee, and will miss the rest of the 2024 season. He was initially placed on the injured list with a torn meniscus on April 30 and had surgery soon thereafter. Now the meniscus is torn again and his season is over.
Trout, 32, was hitting .220/.325/.541 with 10 home runs -- the leading total in MLB at the time -- in 29 games prior to tearing his meniscus in April. A variety of injuries have limited Trout to 266 of 648 possible games from 2021-24, or 41%. That includes only 41 total games after the All-Star break in those four seasons combined.
Here are the notable injuries Trout has suffered throughout his Hall of Fame career.
2017: Torn thumb ligament
Days missed: 47
Trout's first injury was a fluke injury. On May 28, 2017, Trout tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb sliding into second base on a stolen base. He hit the bag hard, bent his thumb the wrong way, and the ligament gave out. Trout had surgery, rejoined the Angels on July 14, and hit a Trout-like .285/.429/.552 with 17 home runs in 67 games the rest of the way. This was Trout's first trip to the injured list as a professional.
2021: Calf strain
Days missed: 139
Sometimes the worst injuries are the injuries that don't look all that bad at the time. On May 17, 2021, Trout was on second base, and he felt a grab in his right calf when he began to run out a pop up with two outs. He was originally expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a strain, though setbacks kept delaying his return. Finally, with the Angels out of the race, Trout pulled the plug in September and shut it down for the season. He played only 36 games in 2021 and none after May 17.
2022: Back inflammation
Days missed: 35
Officially, Trout was diagnosed with "costovertebral dysfunction," which is a fancy name for a sore back. His back began to act up in early July, and he landed on the injured list on July 15. At the time of the injury, Trout was hitting .270/.368/.599 in 79 games. After returning on Aug. 10, he hit .308/.370/.686 the rest of the way. After a little rest and rehab, Trout was good as new.
2023: Broken hamate
Days missed: 89
Those 89 days span two stints on the injured list. Trout broke the hamate in his left hand taking a swing on July 3, 2023, and underwent surgery soon thereafter. Hamate surgery typically comes with a 6-8 week recovery, but with the Angels trying to make a run at the postseason in the second half, Trout returned on Aug. 22. He played one game, went 1 for 4, then shut it down for the season. He wasn't fully recovered and needed more time. For all intents and purposes, Trout's 2023 season ended on July 3.
2024: Torn meniscus
Days missed: 153
In April, Trout explained the first torn meniscus did not happen on a specific play. He felt soreness in his left knee in the third inning on April 29, but had no issues hitting and running. It wasn't until later that night that the soreness intensified. Trout went for tests that confirmed the meniscus tear, then he had surgery.
On July 23, Trout started a minor-league rehab assignment with the Salt Lake Bees, the Angels' Triple-A affiliate, but exited after one at-bat with soreness in his knee. He was scheduled to play five innings. Trout returned home and an initial MRI came back clean. After a few days of rest, the soreness returned, and further tests revealed the meniscus had torn again. Trout will have surgery again, ending his season.
