ANAHEIM -- Angels superstar Mike Trout progressed to jogging on the field without any pain before Friday’s series opener against the A’s and is slated to start swinging the bat on Saturday.
Trout, who suffered a right hamstring strain while running to first base in Arizona on June 18, had been participating in light on-field activity earlier this week and has been pleased with his progress. There’s still no timeline for his return, but he remains hopeful to be healthy in time for the MLB All-Star Game on July 14 in Philadelphia. He was named a finalist in the All-Star balloting update release on Thursday after being the second-leading vote-getter among AL outfielders.
“Progress is going great,” Trout said. “I did a little light jogging today. No pain. I don't know what they want me to do next, but I had no pain with it. It's a mind thing right now, first time jogging since it happened. Just getting over that feeling, but I had no soreness, so it's good.”
Trout, a three-time AL MVP and 11-time All-Star, also said he considered competing in the Home Run Derby for the first time in his career because it’s being held 40 miles from his hometown of Millville, N.J. But he said it’s unlikely now because of his injury, even if he’s healthy enough to play in the game.
“I'm leaning toward not doing it,” Trout said. “Obviously, it’d be cool to do it, but I probably won't do it. I was thinking about it, but then I hurt my leg. So that's what kind of threw it off there.”
Trout, 34, has slashed .234/.394/.472 with 17 homers, 12 doubles, 54 runs, seven stolen bases and 36 RBIs in 74 games this season. He was only out of the lineup once through the club’s first 74 games before sustaining the injury.
Trout has remained in good spirits despite dealing with another ailment. He played in 130 games last season but dealt with a bone bruise in his left knee and was limited to 36 games in '21 (calf strain), 119 in '22 (back), 82 in '23 (hamate fracture) and 29 in '24 (torn meniscus).
Being back as soon as possible remains the goal for Trout, but being back in time for the Midsummer Classic would be extra meaningful, especially for him and his family. He would love to bring his wife, Jessica, and their sons, Beckham, 5, and Jordy, 2, to the events now that his kids are a little older. Trout hasn’t played in an All-Star Game since 2019 due to injury and hasn’t been selected since 2023.
“It would be huge,” Trout said. “Before the season, it was one of those things on my mind. It’d be cool to play in front of the hometown crowd. And being close to my hometown, it'd be special. As soon as I got the injury in Arizona, I was aiming to be back in time for it, for sure.”
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said he’s been communicating with Trout daily and has been impressed with how quickly Trout has made progress. He’s also been running on an AlterG anti-gravity treadmill with no issues and will continue to ramp up his running intensity on the field.
Jose Siri has been the regular center fielder in Trout’s absence, although he was out of the lineup for a second straight game after being placed on the paternity list on Wednesday. Josh Lowe started in center for the second straight game on Friday. But the Angels are hopeful it won’t be too long until Trout is back manning center field.
“It's encouraging,” Suzuki said. “It's surprising a little bit too, right? How quick that it's been that he's already doing some light jogging, some movement stuff and some footwork stuff too. So it’s nice.”