Trout sustains right calf strain, set for MRI

May 18th, 2021

Angels superstar Mike Trout exited Monday’s 7-4 win over Cleveland after the first inning due to a right calf strain.

Trout walked and reached second base on a wild pitch, but he injured himself while running on a popup to shortstop from Jared Walsh to end the first inning. Trout stopped running after he reached third base and went back into the home dugout. Angels manager Joe Maddon said after the game that there’s no update yet on Trout’s prognosis, adding he was surprised by the injury when it occurred.

“I saw nothing,” Maddon said. “I just looked up and he was kind of limping to the third-base bag. I was wondering what happened. And so you're gonna have to talk to him about that specifically because they don't have a whole lot to say, and they're still undergoing evaluation. We'll know more, but that was kind of innocuous, just all of a sudden, he's limping, and we had no idea why."

Trout also suffered a right calf strain in 2019, missing three games from July 15-18. But it’s unclear if this injury is more serious, as Maddon did indicate Trout was in pain upon leaving the game. Trout, who's expected to undergo an MRI exam, opted to wait to speak to reporters until Tuesday.

"I talked to him briefly and we're just going to wait and go through the testing process before we make our conclusions," Maddon said. "Speculation is never a good thing. It could be not-so-difficult or not-so-bad, and it may be worse. We're gonna find out tomorrow."

If Trout misses time, it would be a serious blow for the scuffling Angels, who have lost 10 of 15 despite Monday's victory. Trout, 29, is having another incredible year, batting .333/.466/.624 with eight homers, eight doubles and 18 RBIs in 36 games. But he had been in a slump recently, as his single in the ninth inning of Sunday's win over the Red Sox snapped an 0-for-18 funk.

Trout was replaced in the top of the second inning in center field by Juan Lagares, who slid over from left. Jose Rojas came off the bench and took over in left field. Lagares, however, later left the game in the ninth inning after crashing into the wall in the eighth trying to rob Cleveland's Harold Ramirez of a homer. Lagares injured a toe and will also be reevaluated on Tuesday.

"He ran into the wall and kind of got his toe, I guess," Maddon said. "How about the way he planted on that wall, my God. He showed absolutely zero fear. It was impressive. He wasn't playing very deep and the ball was hit too much on a line to give him a chance, but if it had some air under it, he might've caught it. But, same thing, we'll know more about him tomorrow."