Trout leaves midgame with left knee soreness in 9-3 loss to Mariners
The Angels’ worst worry popped up again on Wednesday night. Mike Trout felt pain in his left knee after a hard sprint and lunge at first base, then left a 9-3 loss to the Mariners a few minutes later.
The sequence was simple and tense. In the third inning, Trout hit a grounder to second and turned on the jets. He lunged through the bag on a bang-bang play and was called out by a hair. He stayed in the game for defense, but something didn’t feel right. By the fourth, the Angels pulled him and sent up Jo Adell to hit in his spot.
Manager Ron Washington called it a precaution. He said Trout felt soreness while running through the bag and the staff didn’t want to push it. Given Trout’s history with that knee, the choice felt automatic.
After the game, Trout tried to calm the mood. He described the play as a “weird one,” said treatment helped, and added he hopes to play Thursday against the Tigers. The team ran tests, but did not share results. He’ll be checked again in the morning.
This is the same knee that ended his 2024 season. Trout tore the meniscus in the left knee last year after just 29 games and needed surgery. He has had two procedures on that knee. For a player who has lost big chunks of four of the past five seasons to different injuries, any hint of discomfort is a flashing light.
There was a touch of optimism in how he talked about it. Trout said it might be scar tissue breaking up, which can trigger sharp but short-lived pain. That happens to players after major repairs. Still, only time—and how the knee responds overnight—will tell.
The timing stings for the Angels. They’ve dropped five straight. Seattle has been rolling, now with four wins in a row and 15 victories in their last 18. Wednesday’s game got away early and stayed lopsided. Without Trout, the Angels’ lineup loses its anchor, even in a slump.
Yes, he’s been fighting it at the plate. Trout came in having played every game so far, with 22 starts in right field, but he was hitting .173. The power is still there—nine home runs and 18 RBIs—but the bat has been streaky. Even so, pitchers change plans when he steps in. His presence shapes at-bats for everyone behind him.
Moving him to right this year was part of the plan to keep him fresher. Center field is a grind. Fewer long sprints and fewer collisions at the wall can add weeks to a season. The risk doesn’t disappear, though. Plays like Wednesday’s—full-speed sprints and sudden lunges—can rattle a joint that’s been repaired.
Washington and the training staff have pushed a simple goal: get Trout to October in one piece. That starts with getting him to May, then June, then beyond. Pulling him in the fourth, rather than letting him “test it,” fit that plan. It avoids the bad scenario: a small flare-up turning into a real setback.
Adell’s quick entry showed how the Angels might cover if Trout needs a day. They’ve asked more of their younger core already, and they’ll lean on depth if he sits even 24 hours. The lineup has been thin for stretches, and production around the middle has swung week to week. That’s the bigger picture this club keeps trying to stabilize.
The Mariners, meanwhile, looked like a team playing with confidence. They controlled the strike zone, won counts, and kept pressure on. It wasn’t one big swing that sunk the Angels. It was steady traffic and timely hits, the kind that force long innings and a taxed bullpen.
For Trout, the next 12 to 18 hours matter most. How stiff is the knee in the morning? Does swelling show up? Does he clear strength and mobility checks? If he feels clean and the doctors sign off, he’ll push to be in the lineup against Detroit. If there’s any doubt, the Angels will likely slow-play it. They’ve seen how fast a week can disappear.
Trout’s recent history colors all of this. A calf strain in 2021 cost him most of that season. A back issue nagged him in 2022. A hand fracture shortened 2023. Then the left knee in 2024. When he’s on the field, he’s still one of the sport’s most dangerous hitters. The challenge has been keeping him there.
That’s why Wednesday’s choice felt big even if the injury turns out minor. A cautious pull is a bet on the long view. The Angels need Trout in August and September more than they need a single April or May plate appearance. A day off now could prevent weeks off later.
There was no panic in the room, just the usual tension that comes with uncertainty. Trout sounded encouraged. Washington sounded careful. The team has a plan for both outcomes: pencil him in Thursday if he wakes up feeling good; shuffle the outfield and protect the knee if not.
The Angels have been searching for momentum. Ending a skid against a hot Seattle team was always going to be tough. Doing it while managing their franchise player’s health is tougher. They’ll wake up Thursday hoping the tests match Trout’s upbeat tone—and that the knee lets him take his spot back in right.
What it means for the Angels—and what comes next
If Trout plays Thursday, expect small guardrails. Maybe a DH day. Maybe one fewer all-out sprint on a borderline infield hit. The calendar is long, and the Angels need his power more than another close play at first in April.
If he sits, Adell likely gets more run, and the lineup shuffles to fill the middle. The offense needs traffic in front of the power bats and more contact late in counts. The pitching side also feels the ripple effect; tighter games reduce the pressure on a thin lineup.
Everyone around the team has the same read: don’t overreact, but don’t ignore the signs. A sore knee after a lunge could be nothing. It could also be a warning. The Angels chose to treat it like a warning. Given Trout’s past, that’s the only play that makes sense right now.
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