Orthopedic surgeon: Mike Trout’s nightmare calf injury no cause for alarm

ANAHEIM ― Mike Trout was not on the field Friday afternoon as the Angels warmed up for the first game of their final homestand of 2021.

Trout did not take part in any on-field activities until 6:15 p.m., when he walked from the top step of the dugout to the grass in front of the pitcher’s mound, then received a trophy recognizing his nomination for the Roberto Clemente Award from General Manager Perry Minasian. It was the most Angels fans have seen of Trout in months.

Trout hasn’t played since May 17, when he strained his right calf muscle running the bases. The injury was described as a Grade 2 strain at the time, expected to require 6 to 8 weeks of rehabilitation before Trout could return. Now, more than four months later, it’s unclear whether Trout will play again before 2022. The Angels have 15 regular-season games remaining.

If Trout’s season is over, there will be questions. How did an injury that was supposed to sideline Trout until July end up costing him an entire season? What kind of player will he be when he returns?

Dr. Frank Petrigliano, the chief of the Epstein Family Center for Sports Medicine at Keck Medicine of USC, is an orthopedic surgeon and the Kings’ team physician. Rehabilitating injuries like the one Trout suffered, Petrigliano said, does not always conform to a prescribed timeline.

“The Grade 2 muscle injury, that’s typically where we quote a 6-to-8 week timeframe for recovery,” Petrigliano said. “But it’s a bell curve. Some people are going to get back sooner. Something about this injury is just not cooperating where the muscle really needs time to rest.”

Trout has said the soreness he experiences the day after his workouts has been the most prohibitive aspect of his recovery. This isn’t unusual, Petrigliano said. Neither is the Angels’ cautious course of action in response.

“Muscle injuries are tricky in general because they are somewhat unpredictable,” he said. “Athletes with a chronic hamstring, sometimes they’re fine. They have a hamstring pull, it can be two weeks, six weeks – they come back in fits and starts. Do you want to keep on having these repetitive attempts to return versus just ‘we’re going to shut it down, let this thing heal 100 percent, and make sure he’s ready to go for next season?’ He’s already missed a lot of time.”

At the time of his IL placement, Trout led the Majors in on-base percentage (.466) and on-base plus slugging (1.090). The three-time AL MVP qualified for Hall of Fame eligibility last year and is arguably already a shoo-in. Trout, 30, is the Angels’ all-time leader in home runs, OBP, slugging, and Wins Above Replacement.

There is a degree of age-related decline to be expected when a player loses four and a half months – and up to 122 games – in the prime of his career. A lower-body muscle strain, however, should not prohibit Trout from becoming the elite hitter he was before the injury, Petrigliano said.

“Time will degrade all talents,” he said, “but I don’t think it’s going to be an injury that holds him back. The reason so many great athletes go on to become Hall of Famers is because they battle back from these injuries better than their contemporaries can.”

OHTANI STARTS SUNDAY

Two days after reporting soreness in his right elbow, Shohei Ohtani threw a bullpen at Angel Stadium and was cleared to start Sunday against the Oakland A’s.

Ohtani had been penciled in to start Friday but was limited to designated hitter duties because of the elbow soreness. Left-hander Jhonathan Diaz was recalled from Triple-A Salt Lake to take Ohtani’s place on the mound.

As a pitcher, Ohtani is 9-2 with a 3.36 ERA in 21 starts. Jaime Barría, who was originally penciled in for Sunday’s starting assignment, will likely start Monday against the Houston Astros.

ALSO

The Angels activated right-handed reliever Jose Marte. To make room for him and Diaz on the active roster, the Angels returned reliever Elvis Peguero to Triple-A Salt Lake and placed reliever Junior Guerra (left hamstring strain) on the 10-day injured list.

UP NEXT

Angels (LHP Jose Suarez, 7-7, 3.59 ERA) vs. Oakland (RHP James Kaprielian, 7-5, 4.02 ERA), Saturday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM