ANAHEIM -- Angels outfielder Mike Trout has yet to play this week, as he’s been dealing with a nerve issue in his right foot, but he said he’s hopeful to return Sunday.

Trout, aiming for his third American League MVP Award, has been dealing with a neuroma in his right foot for about a month, and it’s flared up over the past week. The last time he played a full game was Sept. 5, as he exited after five innings on Sept. 6 and served as a pinch-hitter on Sept. 7, getting intentionally walked and pinch-ran for. He underwent a cryoablation procedure to alleviate the pain on Monday, but he still had issues when testing it before Friday’s game.

"I tested it out during pregame,” Trout said. “Felt OK hitting, just running it was still sore. The plan is to play [Sunday]. I told you guys Friday, but I think [Sunday] is going to be the day for sure."

Trout said the procedure, which used extreme cold to deaden the tissue around the affected nerve, helped, as the pain wasn’t as intense on Friday as it was last week. It’s something he’ll have to play through the rest of the year, as he’s had conversations with the training staff about shutting it down, but he wants to play. There remains a strong chance he’ll need surgery after the season to remove the neuroma.

“I'm going to try to play as long as I can and go from there,” Trout said. “I've got to talk to the doctors after the season to see what they want me to do. I'm doing as much as I can, and the trainers are doing as much as they can to get me back out there."

When Trout returns, he’s expected to serve as the designated hitter to keep him from running in center field. But Trout said he’s hopeful it’s just short term at DH.

"I wouldn't say for the rest of the season,” Trout said. “If I come in and feel good, I'll play center. Just being in the lineup would make me feel good. I'm going crazy. Just watching my teammates go out there and battle and you can't help them do much, it's tough. But we have 15 games or something and I'm going to try to be out there as much as I can."

Trout, 28, is hitting .291/.438/.645 with a career-high 45 homers, 104 RBIs, 110 runs scored and 11 stolen bases in 134 games. Angels manager Brad Ausmus was also hopeful that Trout will return Sunday.

“I talked to him earlier,” Ausmus said. “He’s optimistic about [Sunday]. Probably will be a DH, but will be good to go.”

Upton meets with media

Left fielder Justin Upton, who will miss the rest of the season with right patellar tendinitis, said Saturday that it’s been a difficult season and that the best course of action with his knee was to shut it down to get ready for next year. Upton will get a platelet-rich plasma injection in his knee and will resume workouts in six weeks.

"I wasn't happy about it, obviously,” Upton said. “But we talked about it. It's the right thing to do, to get started right now with the recovery. Missing the last few games, I'm trying to get on track."

Upton said he sustained a similar injury during offseason workouts and that it lingered into Spring Training. It didn’t flare up again until Sept. 7 against the White Sox in Chicago, but Upton dealt with injuries throughout the season, including left turf toe that kept him out for more than two months to start the season.

"It's definitely been a frustrating year," Upton said. "My body just didn't hold up. But that's what the offseason is for, to correct those things and get it back on track. I think when you go through your normal routine in the offseason, it sets you up for more success than when you don't. That's the hope this year, that I get the full offseason of training like I have in past years and hopefully, I get the same results."

Upton, 32, hit .215/.309/.416 with 12 homers, eight doubles and 40 RBIs in 63 games. He remains under contract for three more years at $72 million.