Trout exits first rehab game with left knee soreness

SEATTLE -- Angels superstar Mike Trout sustained a setback in the first game of his rehab assignment, as he left Tuesday’s game with Triple-A Salt Lake after two innings because of left knee soreness. The Angels announced on Wednesday that Trout is headed back to Southern California to get re-evaluated.

Trout, who had surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee on May 3, was scheduled to play five innings in center field. But after going 0-for-1 with a strikeout and playing two innings in the field, he was removed from the game. Trout caught three fly balls in center, including the first two outs of the game and the final out of the second inning.

Manager Ron Washington didn’t have much of an update after the Angels’ 5-1 win over the Mariners and was hopeful before Wednesday that Trout would be able to serve as designated hitter despite the setback. But Trout wasn't in the lineup and will undergo further testing.

Trout, a three-time AL MVP and 11-time All-Star, faced live pitching and ran in the outfield and on the bases at the club’s Spring Training complex in Arizona on Saturday and Sunday to prepare for his rehab assignment. He was scheduled to serve as designated hitter on Wednesday and possibly play seven more innings in center field on Thursday. But that all changed after he felt soreness in his knee while playing in game action for the first time since April 29.

He sustained a torn meniscus against the Red Sox on April 29 and never figured out how he suffered the injury. He began baseball activities earlier this month and said he was looking to return by late July.

Trout, 32, was hitting .220/.325/.541 with 10 homers, two triples, six stolen bases and 14 RBIs in 29 games before being placed on the injured list. It’s yet another injury-plagued season for Trout, who was limited to 36 games in 2021 because of a calf strain, 119 in '22 due to a back injury and 82 last year because of a hamate fracture.