Angels center fielder Mike Trout left their game against the Indians on Monday with a right calf strain, the team announced. He exited after just one inning and was replaced by Juan Lagares.
This hopefully won’t lead to a stint on the injured list for Trout, who has been in typically great form to begin the season. The 29-year-old has batted .333./.466/.624 with eight home runs in 146 plate appearances.
There would be no way for the Angels to effectively replace Trout, a future Hall of Famer, for an extended span. Trout aside, the Angels have used Scott Schebler – whom they outrighted earlier this month – and Lagares at center this season. It goes without saying that those two pale in comparison to Trout.
Now the greatest player of this generation has been taken out by the injury bug. What a useless year!
On a side note, the current MLB IL team would be unstoppable.
The greatest player to never win a playoff game.
Can someone be the greatest of their generation and never get close to a championship?
In baseball they can for sure
sportingnews.com/us/nfl/list/25-best-athletes-to-n…
Absolutely. Baseball isn’t a one man sport like Tennis.
Yep.
@cryptonerd In baseball, you don;t get to control get to touch the ball every play unless you are a pitcher. Even if you are starting pitcher, you only get to pitch every 5 days. This is different than basketball or a quarterback in football. All players on a team get an at bat so it is pretty simple for most to understand why a single individual cannot influence the fortunes of their teams in baseball like in other sports.
Ernie Banks, all-star 11 seasons, all-star at two positions, gold glove at short, 2-time MVP, 512 HR, hall of famer.
Played 19 years for the Cubs. They finished above .500 just six times, and only once in his age 22-35 seasons. They never made the playoffs in his whole career. And HOFers Fergie Jenkins and Ron Santo were on some of those teams!
There were fewer playoff spots back then, but…
Greatest position player.
Ted Williams had 5 total bases in the post-season in his career.
Willie Mays had a .660 OPS in the playoffs, Mike Schmidt had a .690 OPS. Heck, Joe Torre never even made it to the playoffs as a player.
Chill, he’ll be fine. Also, only die hard angel fans noticed this, but something was going on with trouts literal vision the last 10 games. I’d bet he tweaked it, but he is getting that looked at too.
Also the playoff stuff is tired. Angels are stupid primed for the next 5 years with; Ohtani, trout, rendon, fletch, Walsh, marsh, adell, demeters and canning.
Their pitching staff has literally th largest gap between FIP and era since 1910. They’ve been brutally unlucky. Give this seasons. Chance.
Canning and
What do you mean he tweaked his literal vision?
another year wasted
Agreed, I’m getting tired of this. I want to see Trout mash for 162 games. He really has to increase the grit and intangibles to stay healthy!
I don’t care about his record-breaking WAR, which does the average fan no good if there’s only a 75% chance we’ll get to see him play if I go to an Angels game.
I didn’t know not getting injured was a personal choice.
I am talking about the angels in general
He’s getting injured more frequently, so he has to change something. Baseball players need to stop wanting to look like football players. Trout is 6’2″ and 235(?)… at least. Maybe it’s time to ditch a few home runs and striking out in over 1/3 of his at-bats, lose 15 or 20 pounds and it might help his legs as he gets older.
It’s not. But it’s become painfully obvious that there’s issues with today’s players and teams.
1. Teams don’t implement preventive training regimen for players. It’s all about power and velo, nothing to withstand wear and tear.
2. Players are too soft nowadays. The slightest injury and they want an IL stint. Need to teach guys to play through small injuries.
I don’t disagree as I enjoyed the small-ball game of past. Stolen bases, bunting, and LOOGY’s are lost art. I also believe if the defensive shift was banned, pull hitters would be less inclined to try to hit homerun all the time. MLB wants to keep games short so here we are.
Are you really here trying to give tips to Mike freaking Trout.
Yes, in between mouthfuls of chips while swilling beer on the couch. It’s what hard, gritty fans do.
Hopefully Trout and the Angels check MLBTR comments for advice on changing their training plans.
As far as players being soft, IMO, they sign their big long term deals and just dont care anymore.
Since his first full season in the majors, only nine players have played more games than Mike Trout, and only three have had more plate appearances.
And this year only six qualified players have a higher batting average than Trout and only two have a higher walk rate.
You’re spot on! An athlete in this sport with his ability needs to reshape their bodies as they age into their prime. By the time he hits 33-34 he will have regressed enough that he’ll be a corner OFer of DH and he can put the muscle mass back on.
cheeryvladdy
1. Teams don’t implement preventive training regimen for players.
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Just for fun, how about you document that with a quote from an MLB GM saying something to that affect?
I will be completely shocked if you can document your claim.
Not saying Trout, but there are players (i.e. Stanton, Ellsbury) who have injuries they can play through but choose not to.
See, it’s funny because I don’t picture out of shape dudes on the couch. I picture a bored dude sitting at his lousy work desk with more down time than he wants to admit because everyone in 2021 seems to think they’re busy 24/7
or maybe teams are realizing that sitting someone out for a 10 games might keep them healthier for the other 100+ games instead of being at half strength with a nagging injury .
You guys are all idiots. Straight up pathetic losers who spew their dumb dumb dumb dumb thoughts without one inkling of what it’s like to play a sport for a living and try to keep your body in peak condition.
YankeesBleacherCreature
Stolen bases, bunting, and LOOGY’s are lost art. I also believe if the defensive shift was banned, pull hitters would be less inclined to try to hit homerun all the time.
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I like bunting, and that’s the cure for shifts.
But I hate most SBs. When I grew up, the announcers would talk about someone being a SB threat, with 20 SBs. But even as a little kid, I knew those 20 SBs were useless if they came with 13 CS.
IRT shifts, there are easy solutions. Guys like Verdugo can go oppo, so why can’t other lefties? And then there is the aforementioned bunt. If a lefty can lay down a mediocre bunt down the 3B line, that anchors the 3B. Teams will still move guys, but they aren’t playing someone on 3rd, and 3 guys to the right of 2nd.
Guys just have to learn the same skills I was taught growing up.
“He really has to increase the grit and intangibles to stay healthy!”
What does this mean?
He needs to eat more grits, obviously.
Ah! He left the “s” off. Now I see. Grits and intangibles — is that a Southern dish?
I think you guys mistook his tone. He meant he needs to eat more intangibles.
rwegner
He needs to eat more grits, obviously.
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You dunce! He obviously meant that he needs to eat more intangibles.
Seriously, I often wonder where folks get these ideas from. It’s like they believe in some kind of voodoo.
Well said, Ben – “increase the grit.” Agreed.
Would think Marsh could get a cup of coffee with the way he’s hitting in AAA to start the year.
I thought he would be up sooner rather than later to play RF anyway.
Brandon Marsh didn’t play the first few games and isn’t hitting. Jo Adell is not hitting either
Marsh is hitting. He has a .308 average with good secondary stats so far. It has been a small number of at bats so he will likely be down for a bit longer.
Halo11Fan
Brandon Marsh didn’t play the first few games and isn’t hitting.
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Marsh’ OPS is .988. It’s the AAAW, but that’s pretty good, and he has an 8/7 K/W, which argues for success. Adell, OTOH, is starting to look like a real question mark. Someone needs to fine him every time he hits a HR, and reward everytime he hits a line drive 2B. A 41% K-rate in AAA is a real problem.
When you are hitting 235 in the PCL, you are not hitting.
I’m not a big fan of Batting Average, but we are talking the PCL Where Schebler has a 1200 OPS and is hitting 300
If you aren’t a big fan of batting average, then turn your gaze to Marsh’s .458 OBP, 529 SLG, and his 154 wRC+. The dude id hitting, albeit a small sample.
Nebraska. It’s the PCL, you better hit for batting average.
A little too soon but I’d be happy to see him this year.
Now that Ward has a lock on RF and Rendon is back, I think Schebler gets this call.
The season just started 2 weeks ago and Marsh missed the first week. He only played 5 games and is hitting .235 with 17 at bats. I wouldn’t exactly say he is hitting. He is better off in Triple A. He does have a good OBP so far, but I wouldnt call him up just yet.
On a side not, Adell has 4 HR is 11 games, but average is below .200 at the moment.
a great year to be a AAAA player or passable backup
Especially the no-named ones. Some of these players have names you wouldn’t even think of in Mad Libs. I never even heard of Johneshwy Fargas before today, but I thought Mark Polishuk got fed up with his salary and was pranking Tim Dierkes into firing him, but no, it’s a real player!
Marsh has a right shoulder injury. So he can’t play the field. He is the DH in Salt Lake. So he can’t play the outfield, at this time.
i was just musing how NYM’s OF is now Dom Smith and a bunch of other dudes in Fargas, Hager, and Lee (no offense to the latter as a solid prospect, but far from a household name yet)
(earrape pianoman music intensifies as some random meme about baseball injuries this year splatters across the screen)
According to Buster Olney, things aren’t looking good for the GOAT…
Olney: Trout’s Calf Injury Worse Than Initially Thought
Interesting… when I hover over the highlighted text it just so happens to give me a YouTube link.
I wonder what that means… it certainly couldn’t be a rick roll.
It’s a two-minute clip of MLB Tonight on a channel that just rips and uploads stuff from MLBN. I thought cool teens like you were into shortform internet content like that.
Pass. I don’t know about the YouTube source and I don’t want to give them the revenue of me clicking on their video. Buster Olney is boring enough reading his articles; I don’t need to hear him talk with his perpetually-angry look he always has on his face.
Then again, I AM ANGRY OVER THIS NEWS!!!
Hey, I can appreciate the effort. But I’m sorry, that’s the fabled link. Don’t click on it.
(i.e., you failed to rickroll me)
I’m confused. Why are you lying about the video? Are you in denial about the severity of the injury? I’m just trying to add to MLBTR’s reporting and you’re just trolling and adding nothing to the conversation. Catch this mute, 41yearoldbaseballfanatic
Don’t lie just because you have Olney Derangement Syndrome. Seek a therapist
Also, as a youtuber, I know that old videos get new links whenever they are automatically compressed upon the introduction of a new video resolution in YT’s system. That’s why links in old articles usually don’t work
The internet didn’t exist when Pujols was in his 20s.
Do you want to try that math again chief?
Olney is a bottom feeder who usually gets it wrong.
Calf injuries usually take at least a month to heal. This is a serious injury that will cause Trout at least 30-40 games. The Angels have no depth to compensate for an injury to the vital part of the lineup.
@trout27 Depends on the severity. Grade 1 is usually 7-10 days, Grade 2 is 3 to 4 weeks..
Everyone has been pointing to the shortened season last year but I feel the shortened Spring Training has more to do with a lot of these injuries. Players might be ready to play in 2-3 weeks but it doesn’t mean they are conditioned for 162 games schedule after less than a month.
“Injuries to every great player” has surpassed “Three true outcomes to the exclusion of everything else” as my least favorite thing about baseball. Willians Astudillo pitches, but it’s still a tough baseball night.
It’s about time some team hires Cal Ripken Jr. and pays him $10M/year to be their strength and conditioning coach. I truly believe that weight lifting has caused a majority of the muscle pull injuries in baseball. These players don’t have the opportunity to give their muscles time to heal after a workout. They tighten after a strenuous workout and are much easier to pull than someone who only rides a bike or runs on the treadmill.
I’ve been saying this long before weight lifting became cool for hitters. My theory was always that younger players get hurt more because their muscles are tighter. When I was younger, I could hurt an ankle pretty easily. Now that my ankles are loose and droopy, I rarely even feel it, no matter what type of misstep I make.
Just have Ohtani play center on days he’s not pitching. He can do everything. Look at what he’s done tonight.
Do you know what Jo Adell’s nickname is? Jo.
That’s about as inspiring as his play. Would they dare…..?
No. Not now.
Adell being brought up last year was a desperate Eppler trying to save his job. Jo has looked better this year in some respects but is still striking out a ton.
He never got a decent amount of AAA time. He needs it.
Remember when angels were seen as dark horse contenders preseason? Although looks they’ll have a busy July with some semi interesting veteran trade assets. I wish fletcher would be available but he’s a long term piece for them
Worth noting that Lagares *also* left the game late after colliding with the wall tracking a HR. He didn’t come out immediately after that, but did the next inning which led to an odd situation where Justin Upton was brought in as a defensive replacement.
Even just a short IL stay would be troublesome. Beyond losing the best hitter in the game for a while, the Angels are already short an outfielder and DFA’ed their best bench hitter. When Ohtani pitches, that’ll make 3 lineup spots that’ll have to be filled by AAAA players at best.
with the calf, no chance he doesnt do a stint on the DL..lowest level strain is pretty much a 2 week injury- more severe could be closer to a month- and always tricky because you feel fine, until you try to get back out there and drive off of it-
doubt weight work has anything to do with this injury- its just one of those things.
Maybe chicks dig the soft tissue injury now?
Get well soon Mike Trout! Juan Lagares not a bad understudy.
Mike T <3’s BBC
Calf stains can be very tricky and fairly challenging to fully resolve during the season. And it has nothing to do with toughness or pain tolerances. When the calf is barking, the cow has to listen.
Mike Trout is obviously a helluva player. Most of us just hope his career arc resembles Willie Mays and not Mickey Mantle. The Mick of course was fantastic but from age 30 onward you only saw about 75% of what he could have been, either through missed games or being hobbled.
This makes me appreciate just how amazing Henry Aaron’s career was. I mean, just incredible consistency. I think he broke an ankle in year 1 and then played the next 20 without any major injuries. He had 15 straight seasons with 6+ WAR and 145+ games.
You don’t replace a Mike Trout and considering the Angel’s farm system hasn’t been rated above the bottom since Aybar & Kendrick were there it says everything about where this Organization is, Even with a healthy Trout the Angels were a wild card at best hopefully Trout will take his time coming back this is just another in a long line of lost seasons
You don’t replace a Mike Trout and considering the Angel’s farm system hasn’t been rated above the bottom since Aybar & Kendrick were there it says everything about where this Organization is, Even with a healthy Trout the Angels were a wild card at best hopefully Trout will take his time coming back
It’s pretty amazing how many good players this system has produced with such low rankings. Maybe the rankings don’t mean as much as people think they should.
Besides Trout, who have the Angels produced? Walsh looks pretty good. Canning is okay. Fletcher might be a player, but still a career OPS of .709.
Since 2010, these are their top WAR draftees that I consider ‘Angel players’:
Calhoun 15.7
Fletcher 7.1
Unless I am missing someone, that’s it for the players above 3.0 bWAR.
How long does an MRI take? No news is bad news.