While Los Angeles Angels fans and the rest of Major League Baseball continue to revel in the phenom that is Shohei Ohtani, there was some good news on the Mike Trout front on Tuesday.
For the first time since suffering a calf strain in mid-May, Angels All-Star outfielder Mike Trout ran the bases on Tuesday morning ahead of the Angels taking on the Oakland A’s. It may not seem like much on the surface, but Trout running the bases is another step in his return to the Angels lineup.
Here is video of the rehab process Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels is undergoing
Good to see you, @MikeTrout. pic.twitter.com/xzAgZb5BRX
— MLB (@MLB) July 20, 2021
According to The Orange County Register, Trout called the workout “abbreviated.” Still, Trout needed to test his calf at a slower speed before being sent out on any kind of rehab assignment. The three-time American League Most Valuable Player still has no firm timetable on his return, but his return to the field on Tuesday was a welcome sight for Angels fans.
At 46-48 after being blanked 6-0 by Oakland on Tuesday, the Angels are 10.5 games out of the American League West and are given just over a 7 percent chance of making the postseason by FanGraphs. Trout’s return may come too late to boost the Angels into the playoffs, despite the big numbers being put up by Ohtani.
Trout amassed just 146 plate appearances before being sidelined with the Grade 2 calf strain in a May 17 home game against Cleveland. At the time, he was estimated to miss six to eight weeks of action. With that time frame, now is right at the end of the time Trout was expected to miss. He said earlier in the week that once he began running, he would have a better idea of when he might return to the Angels lineup.
Angels fans are ready for his return, as are all MLB fans who want to see arguably the best player in the game return to the diamond.