Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout Reveals Why He Chose Surgery

Los Angeles Angels star centerfielder Mike Trout has not been able to catch a break when it comes to injuries. The 2024 campaign is unfortunately the fourth straight that he has suffered a major injury

This time, it was an injury to his knee, as he had to undergo surgery on his meniscus. There is no exact play or game that Mike Trout can remember injuring the knee in, as he felt some aches and then one morning he woke up and couldn’t walk.

Speaking on Thursday night after the Los Angeles Angels lost 10-4 to the Kansas City Royals, he shared some of what went into the decision to have surgery. Non-surgical options were presented to him, as he would have to manage the pain but would be limited to only being a designated hitter for the rest of 2024.

That wasn’t something Mike Trout wanted to do, so he opted to have the surgery. In his opinion, it was a better alternative than postponing the surgery and only being able to hit this season.

“It was an option they put out there,” he said. “It would have been just maintaining the pain level of it. The day I got the MRI and it showed [a tear], I was in a lot of pain, so it would have been a tough road for the rest of the year to bear that. I felt the best option for me was to get it right and be fully healthy to come back soon.”

Being a designated hitter isn’t something Mike Trout has excelled at during his incredible career. He has been DH 81 times and is hitting only .214 in those appearances. Trout wants to be on the field and undergoing surgery will help ensure that can happen.

As shared by ESPN, baseball players who have suffered a similar injury to Mike Trout are normally sidelined for 4-to-8 weeks. But, no recovery timetable has been set for Trout yet. The only work he has done is stretching and strengthening the quad muscles and the area around it.

Before going down with the injury, Mike Trout was leading the MLB with 10 home runs. He was a one-man show for the Los Angeles Angels, as he had only 14 RBIs on the season despite the league-leading amount of long balls.

A return to action is expected this season, but it remains up in the air when that could be. “It’s tough because I felt real good [to begin the season], but things just happen. I’m doing everything I can to get back on the field,” Trout said. “I want to go as fast as I can, but I don’t want to push it.”