This story was excerpted from Rhett Bollinger’s Angels Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

OAKLAND -- Angels superstar Mike Trout is nearing a return and is expected to rejoin the club during its next homestand, possibly as soon as Thursday against the A’s at Angel Stadium.

Trout, who underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee on May 3, traveled to the club’s Spring Training complex in Arizona on Saturday to face live pitching in order to get ready for a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake. Trout is expected to join the Bees on Tuesday and will be activated from the injured list a few days after that, depending on how he feels.

“He’s biting at the bit to get here,” Angels manager Ron Washington said. “But he has to go play in the outfield. He did a lot of work in the outfield, doing a lot of things he would have to do at game time. But you can’t recognize if it’s effective until you go through real games. We are waiting for him to react in game conditions. As soon as he’s ready, we’re going to have our arms wide open to welcome him back.”

Trout, a three-time AL MVP and 11-time All-Star, was batting .220/.325/.541 with 10 homers, two triples, one double, 14 RBIs and six stolen bases in 29 games before suffering the meniscus tear against the Phillies on April 29. Trout never figured out exactly how he sustained the injury, which made it even more frustrating for him.

It was a lengthy process to get Trout back, as he didn’t start baseball activities until earlier this month. But he’s been ramping up his running and hitting drills over the past few weeks, and he is just about ready for game action. The biggest concern is running the bases and doing all the cutting and running necessary to play center field. But he could see some time at designated hitter to ease him back into action, much like the Halos did with Anthony Rendon.

“It's going to be a huge boost,” Washington said. “I know he might have a little problem trying to get his offense where he wants it. But his presence for us is more important than his performance. So we're going to be very happy to have his presence, because he's one of those guys that can make everybody else better just by being there.”

With Trout out, the Angels have gone 31-39, as they’ve had to count on young players to step up. Rendon also dealt with a lengthy left hamstring injury, while other key veterans such as Brandon Drury and Luis Rengifo have been out with various ailments.

Mickey Moniak has been the primary replacement for Trout in center field, while the Halos have had to count on others such as catcher Logan O’Hoppe, shortstop Zach Neto, first baseman Nolan Schanuel and right fielder Jo Adell despite their inexperience. Moniak had the chance to become an everyday player with Trout out, and while he struggled offensively, he was a solid defender and his bat has been heating up in July. But this will allow Moniak to play in more of a part-time role where they can find good matchups for him, along with Adell.

Washington said he likes the way the younger players responded to the adversity, and he believes it’ll only make them better in the long run.

“I’m very pleased, because we knew they could do it and they had an opportunity to show that they could under the bright lights,” Washington said. “And I'm very happy with the way they handled this and the way they're going about their business. One day these guys are going to be the leaders for this team. Right now, they have to get through the season and understand what it takes. But they are going to be the guys we’re going to be looking to going forward.”