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.

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 other than to say Trout will remain in Salt Lake City to get evaluated further on Wednesday.

“Left knee soreness, day to day, he won't be coming back to L.A. until he’s ready,” Washington said. “We’ll just see how he feels tomorrow. They’ll evaluate him.”

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’s expected to change 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.