Fourth injury after 55.46 billion contract leaves outfielder with ‘glass body’ “bizarre”…relies heavily on Ohtani
March 20, 2019 (ET) – Major League Baseball is in for a surprise.
The Los Angeles Angels announced that they had signed slugger Mike Trout to a record-breaking $400 million contract. The extension is worth a total of $426.5 million over 12 years, from 2019 to 2030. It’s a de facto lifetime deal to retire with the Angels. He also received a full trade veto, a hotel suite on the road, and luxury box seats to 20 games a year.
At the time, Angels owner Art Moreno said, “This is an exciting day for Angels fans and every player who has ever worn an Angels uniform. Mike Trout is one of the greatest players in Major League Baseball history and we are proud that he has chosen to play for us for the rest of his life.”
The deal also comes with a call to arms for a team that hasn’t played fall baseball since 2014.
Unfortunately, after winning his third career MVP in his first season, Trout became a “glass house” and had many more seasons where he failed to live up to expectations. In May 2021, he went on the disabled list (IL) with a right calf injury while running the bases against the Cleveland Indians, ending his season, and last year he spent over a month on the IL with a back injury before the All-Star break.
This year, he was expected to make it through the first three months of the season before being placed on the DL again with a recent left wrist injury. The Angels announced on Friday that they have placed Trout on the 15-day disabled list after he was diagnosed with a fractured metacarpal bone in his left hand.안전놀이터
Trout was removed from the game against the San Diego Padres on April 4 after complaining of pain in his left hand when he fouled off a Nick Martinez fly ball in the eighth inning. Tests revealed a cracked metacarpal bone, located between the pinky and wrist.
I was told that rehabilitation would take at least four weeks and up to eight weeks. At the earliest, I could return to play in early August, and at the latest, I could be sidelined until early September.
“I’m asking for advice from athletes with the same injury,” Trout told local media. “I knew it wasn’t going to be good,” he said, adding, “I was told I could be back in four weeks. It’s a freak injury. “I knew it wasn’t going to be good, it’s a bizarre injury. I’ve heard some players say it took more than four weeks, so we’ll have to see.
Angels manager Phil Nevin said, “As you go through the season, you have injuries and you have guys coming up from the minors. That happens all the time. There’s no reason for anybody to feel sorry for us, and there’s no reason for us to resent anybody.”
Trout’s trip to the IL marks the third straight year he’s been selected to the All-Star Game and hasn’t played. “I was really looking forward to the All-Star Game this year, and I can’t tell you how disappointed I am,” Trout said.
“The trainer said it was an unavoidable injury. I was just unlucky. At first it didn’t hurt too much. He said that other hitters have experienced the same thing, so it’s good that it’s not season-ending.”
In 81 games this season, Trout is batting .263 (80-for-304) with 18 home runs, 44 RBI, 54 runs scored and an OPS of .862. With Trout out for more than a month, the Angels will rely even more heavily on Shohei Ohtani.
After playing 134 games in 2019, Trout’s season was cut short in mid-September, and he played 53 games in the shortened 2020 season, followed by 36 and 119 games in 2021 and 2022, respectively. This year, even if he returns in early August, he’s likely to miss more than 20 games.
It’s the fourth time Trout has missed more than 10 days with an injury since signing a massive long-term contract.