Angels' Ron Washington Noncommittal on Mike Trout Returning Soon

When will Mike Trout return to the Angels?

“I can’t answer that right now,” Angels manager Ron Washington told reporters, including Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group, when asked if Trout could play this weekend. “I’ve got to see how things fare the next time on the base paths, and how he recovers.”

The uncertainty is understandable. Trout left the Angels' April 30 game with an injury initially termed "left knee soreness." It was soon clarified as a bone bruise.

Back on May 11, Trout told reporters he was joining the team on its next road series, and termed it likely he would begin a running progression there. He did not.

So while it's fair to infer a player running bases at close to 100 percent on a Thursday could be activated by Sunday, Trout's history suggests caution is in order.

Prior to the injury, Trout posted an uncharacteristic .179/.264/.462 slash line, well below his usual standard. The sum total of his offense and defense in right field netted out to a month's worth of replacement-level production, with slightly below-average 95 wRC+.

More encouraging: Trout's nine home runs in 121 at-bats, a sign of the typically prodigious power still in his bat. Once he's cleared to face live pitching, Trout can get to work on reducing his 29.8 percent strikeout rate, on track for a career high.

The Angels signed Trout to a 12-year, $426.5 million contract in March 2019, at the time the richest contract in baseball history. He still has six years and $212.7 million left on the contract, including this season.

Now, the Angels can only hope that Trout's latest injury also yields one of his quickest recoveries. He has averaged 67 games per season from 2021-24, after averaging 145 per season from 2012-19, when he won seven Silver Slugger Awards and made eight American League All-Star teams.

The Angels moved Trout to right field this year in hopes of keeping him on the active roster longer.

Not only hasn't that happened, the Angels have gotten a subpar .697 OPS from their right fielders this season, including Trout's contribution to the total.

Whenever he's able to return, the Angels will gladly welcome his bat back into the lineup. They have scored a combined five runs amid a five-game losing streak entering Friday's series opener against the Cleveland Guardians.