Angels' Trout 'just wasn't myself' in injury-plagued season - ESPN

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout, typically as composed as anybody within his profession, was visibly emotional while talking about his recent string of injuries Monday, one day after Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin declared that Trout would not return from his recent hand injury in time to play again this season.

Trout, on a trajectory to be one of the greatest players in baseball history as recently as 2020, has played in fewer than half of the Angels' games over the past three years.

His tally this year will be 82.

«Yeah, it's frustrating,» Trout said, visibly shaken. «I wanted to get back. It's tough. It's been hard.»

Trout, 32, won three American League MVP Awards within his first eight full seasons and finished as the runner-up in four other instances. But a torn calf muscle kept him off the field beyond the middle of May in 2021. In 2022, he missed a little more than a month around midseason because of a troublesome back issue. His goal going into 2023 was to simply remain healthy.

«I hired a ton of people to work on my body,» Trout said. «My body felt great. A freak thing happened and I broke my hand.»

Trout suffered a fracture to the hamate bone on the bottom part of his left hand while completing a swing in San Diego on July 3. He pushed to come back seven weeks later, on Aug. 22, with the Angels still on the fringes of contention, but his hand didn't respond favorably. He played in one game before returning to the injured list and will not be activated again, his 2023 season ending with a .263/.367/.490 slash line and 18 home runs.

«When I came back, I was in pain,» Trout said. «My swing wasn't right. Just wasn't myself. I was taking it day to day, trying for the soreness and just the discomfort to go away.