Angels star center fielder and three-time AL MVP Mike Trout hasn't played since May 17, when he suffered a strained right calf. Initially, Trout was expected to miss no more than two months, but as of Wednesday it's been roughly 11 weeks since Trout appeared in a game for the Angels. To hear manager Joe Maddon tell it, there's still no clear timetable for Trout's return to the active roster. Via Stephen Hawkins of the Associated Press, here's what Maddon said on Wednesday:
"Obviously, the timeline keeps getting pushed back. We all thought that he'd be playing right around now at the worst, and it's not happening. We'll keep playing it all the way through."
Maddon also indicated that the Angels have yet to determine if Trout will miss the remainder of the season, so there remains hope that he'll play again. Time, though, continues to tick away.
Trout, who turns 30 years of age on Saturday, was off to a vintage start in 2021 prior to the injury. In 36 games this season, he's batting .333/.466/.624 with eight home runs, eight doubles, and an OPS+ of 191. In his absence, two-way star and AL MVP frontrunner Shohei Ohtani has carried the Angels to the fringes of relevance. They'll enter Wednesday's slate with a 53-54 record and 6 1/2 games out of second wild card position in the AL. Even a fully healthy Trout probably wouldn't have put the Angels in line for their first postseason berth since 2014, but without question they'd be within much closer range of a spot.
At this point, Trout probably won't return in time to significantly move the needle for the Angels, which means he'll remain with just three career playoff games to his credit.
