When Mike Trout landed on the Injured List with a strained calf muscle, it was expected that the Los Angeles Angels star would be back in the relatively near future. As the Angels had been able to hover in the playoff race, Trout’s long awaited return seemed as though it would be the boost they needed.
But Trout just never came back. On Saturday, we finally found out why – his strained calf muscle was actually a tear.
Mike Trout update: we thought it was a strain, but he tore his calf “pretty bad”
— Alex Curry (@Alex_Curry) August 21, 2021
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Time for Los Angeles Angels to aim for 2022 with Mike Trout
Trout had been in the midst of a typically dominant season when he was sidelined in mid-May. He had produced a .333/.466/.624 batting line in his 146 plate appearances, hitting eight homers and eight doubles while stealing two bases. He and Shohei Ohtani had given the Angels a formidable duo in the lineup.
The fact that Trout is running is a good sign. And the Angels are doing the right thing by taking his rehab slowly, having him run every other day at this point. But the progression of his recovery would make it unlikely that he will be back any time soon.
Even if Trout was to return in the next few days, it likely would not make a difference. The Angels are hovering around .500, 8.5 games out of a Wild Card spot and 12 games out in the division. There simply is not enough time to make up that much ground.
Instead, this is the time to once again look towards next year. It makes sense to have Trout continue that rehab, breaking up the scar tissue and getting in shape for the upcoming year. However, considering that this is yet another lost year for the Angels, it is better to make certain that he is ready to go for 2022.
It turns out that Mike Trout had a significant tear in his calf muscle. The mystery of why the Los Angeles Angels star had been sidelined is finally solved.