Mike Trout gets good news after MRI on left knee, timeline for return remains to be determined

ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Mike Trout has received good medical news for a change.

The Los Angeles Angels star said an MRI on his left knee came back clean and he is hoping to resume his minor league rehab assignment soon.

“It is a huge relief for me. I just want make sure it feels good, and then go and get back out there,” Trout said on Friday before the Angels faced Oakland.

Trout began a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on Tuesday but exited after just two innings because of soreness in his left knee. Trout said that turned out to be some scar tissue that broke up in the knee while he was jogging on the field.

He was slated to be Salt Lake’s designated hitter on Wednesday, but returned to Southern California to have the knee examined.

“It was frustrating because leading up to that, like the last week, I haven’t felt anything. There was no soreness,” Trout said. “Before the game I ran the bases and felt nothing. And then in the second inning it didn’t feel right.”

Trout hasn’t played for the Angels since April 29 after an MRI exam confirmed he had a torn meniscus in his left knee. The three-time AL MVP then had surgery on May 3.

When Trout had surgery, the initial timeline was six to eight weeks. The recovery though has gone slower than initially expected.

Manager Ron Washington said the current plan would be for Trout to be activated when he is ready, instead of sending him out for another rehab stint. Trout could resume running in the next couple days once he gets cleared by the medical staff.

“Once he says he is ready to go, he’s going to have to be ready to go here,” Washington said. “I think these young kids need his presence in that lineup.”

Trout has played in only 266 games and missed 324 since the start of the 2021 season.

He played in 36 games during the 2021 season due to a strained calf. In 2022, he was sidelined for five weeks with a back injury.

Last season, Trout broke a bone in a hand on a foul ball during a game in San Diego on July 3. He tried to return in August, but played in only one game.