Mike Trout made the choice to undergo surgery to fix a torn meniscus in his left knee instead of delaying it and only playing as a designated hitter for the rest of the season.
“It was an option they offered. It would have meant dealing with the pain,” said the Los Angeles Angels star before Thursday’s game against the Kansas City Royals.
“When I got the MRI results and saw the extent of the pain, I knew it would have been tough to handle for the rest of the year.”
Trout has struggled when playing as a designated hitter. In his 1,518 career games, he has only been a DH 81 times and has a .214 batting average in those games.
Trout, who is now sidelined with a significant injury for the fourth consecutive season, isn’t certain when the latest injury occurred.
The knee discomfort became worse during a game against the Philadelphia Phillies on April 29. An MRI the following day revealed the tear. He underwent surgery last Friday, coinciding with the start of a six-game road trip for the Angels.
“It wasn’t one specific play that caused it. I felt a bit of pain and woke up the next day unable to walk,” he explained.
Baseball players who have had a similar injury and surgery typically take four to eight weeks to recover, but Trout’s recovery timeline has not yet been determined. He mentioned that post-surgery, he has only been able to do stretching exercises and work on strengthening the quadricep muscle and the surrounding area.
At the time of his injury, Trout led the majors with 10 home runs. He also had a batting average of .220 with 14 RBIs and six stolen bases.
