Trout rejoins lineup tonight vs. Seattle

May 30th, 2019

Center fielder Mike Trout rejoined the Angels’ lineup Thursday in Seattle after resting his sore right foot Wednesday.

Trout hurt his foot when he fouled a pitch off it during Tuesday night’s fourth inning. He stayed in the game and managed to draw a walk that helped fuel the Angels’ two-run, ninth-inning rally which enabled them to defeat Oakland, 6-4.

X-rays of Trout’s foot revealed no fracture, though he underwent electronic stimulation treatments by his locker before Wednesday’s game.

“I expected it to be sore,” Trout said, citing the abbreviated turnaround from Tuesday’s night game to Wednesday’s matinee. “It was throbbing pretty good last night. I woke up and it was really sore.”

Trout’s ability to draw the walk that preceded Shohei Ohtani’s game-winning single reflected his plate discipline and his toughness. “My last two at-bats, my foot was killing me,” Trout said.

Angels manager Brad Ausmus stopped just short of guaranteeing that Trout will need a mere 24-hour break. “I don’t expect him to be more than a day, but you never know,” Ausmus said.

Trout’s injury punctuates a mini-offensive slide. He’s hitting .179 (5-for-28) in his last eight games, dropping his overall batting average from .296 to .276. “It seems like I go through little stretches here and there, it seems like every year,” he said. “I gotta get out of it, I guess.”

Of course, it’s difficult to quibble with a two-time Most Valuable Player and seven-time All-Star who maintains a slash line this season of .276/.449/.565.

“The last few games, obviously the results aren’t there but I do feel good up there ... Obviously, you try to get into a groove with things,” said Trout, adding that he’s “close” to regaining his usual equilibrium. “I don’t really look into it too much. I just go out there and play.”