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SALT LAKE CITY — Three-time MVP Mike Trout's season is now officially over after suffering a setback during his brief stint with the Salt Lake Bees last week.
Trout announced on social media Thursday that he will undergo another surgery on his left knee after another MRI conducted Wednesday revealed that he had another tear in his meniscus.
"Playing and competing is a huge part of my life. This is equally as heartbreaking and frustrating for me as it is for you, the fans," the Los Angeles Angels outfielder wrote in a statement. "I understand that I may have disappointed many, but believe me, I will do everything I can to come back even stronger."
Trout struck out in one at-bat and recorded three putouts in the outfield for the Bees in the team's 4-1 win over El Paso on July 23 before he was pulled in the second inning with left knee soreness. Bees manager Keith Johnson said Trout told him about some discomfort and the two mutually agreed to pull him from the game.
The 11-time All-Star was in Salt Lake to rehab from a torn meniscus in his left knee. The following day, he left Utah to be reevaluated by doctors in California. He told reporters on Friday that it turned out that some scar tissue had broken up while jogging on the field at Smith's Ballpark and that he planned to start running "any day now."
However, that never happened. His season was cast in doubt when Angels general manager Perry Minasian said Tuesday that Trout's rehab has been "shut down" and it's unclear when he'll return, according to the Associated Press.
"He's going to get re-evaluated," Minasian said. "He still doesn't feel good, so we'll see where that goes."
The surgery will now sideline Trout for the rest of this year.
He had looked forward to his rehab stint before the July 23 game, saying he was eager to get back to playing baseball. It was a bonus that he got to return to one of the ballparks he played out just before his major league success.
He added that he had been frustrated with his recent recovery, which had taken longer than he expected. The biggest hurdle was not feeling sore the day after "exercises that I could do to get strength" and "finding that limit to push it."
It was later revealed that Trout likely would have played three games in Salt Lake before being called back to Angels, but those plans were thwarted after just two innings.
Tuesday's injury update was provided after the 46-60 Angels traded away some of its players ahead of the MLB trade deadline. The team dealt relievers Luis Garcia and Carlos Estévez to Boston and Philadelphia, respectively, for prospects. However, the Angeles didn't make as many moves as experts had expected this week.
The Angels' injury woes also worsened this week. Star infielder Anthony Rendon was placed on the injured list with low back inflammation just weeks after he had been activated from the 60-day injured list. Los Angeles recalled Bees infielder Michael Stefanic to fill his place on the roster.
Contributing: Associated Press
