Is The End Near For Mike Trout?

Mike Trout is widely regarded as one of the best baseball players of the modern era. He's viewed as a five-tool player because of his ability to hit for power and for average, to run, to play the outfield and to make spectacular throws. However, he's oft-injured and currently in on the injured list again.

He first missed significant time in 2017. That year, he tore a ligament in his thumb and missed 47 games. He still had a solid season, but it was the beginning of a trend for him. In 2021 he missed all but 36 games due to a lingering calf injury. In 2022, it was a back condition that kept him out for 35 games. A broken hamate bone in his left hand caused him to miss 89 games during the 2023 season and last year, he played in just 29 games due to a torn left meniscus. Now, he's dealing with a bone bruise in that same left knee and has been on the IR since the beginning of may.

All of that has Angels fans worried about their beloved star and MLB expert Brady Farkas of Fastball on SI understands why.

"Every time that we, as baseball fans, don't get to see Mike Trout, it's sad," Farkas said. "Ken Griffey Jr. is my all-time favorite player, right? If you're between the ages of 33 and 45, there's a good chance that Ken Griffey Jr. is your all time favorite player as well. I love Griffey. Mike Trout, at his peak however, is the greatest baseball player I've ever seen. Peak Mike Trout, I've never seen anything like it, and he's only barely over 30. We're supposed to have another decade to watch Mike Trout be good, yet here we are."

So you can't help but wonder if Trout is on his way out. He's not the young, flashy superstar he once was at 33 years old and he's only managed to play in more than 116 games just once over the last decade. Farkas gave his opinion on whether or not the end is near for Trout now that he's on the injured list once again.

"Father Time is unbeaten, and he comes for you, and it comes through at different times," Farkas explained. "Sometimes when you come up at 20, it's really great — we get to see you early. But when you hit 30, and you've got all the tread off the tires, it can snowball. And that's what we've seen [with Trout] and that's what we hope is not the case here. But every time you see him limp off a field or get taken out of the lineup, it's always sad.

"Injuries with Trout are always a little alarming but I'm not so much worried about this" Farkas said. "They're going to try to avoid the 60 or 70-game absence and try to limit it to 10. So, not worried about this. I'm just disappointed, as a fan, that a guy who was so good to watch and was such a player, he's not that guy anymore. Yet every time he takes the field, you can be reminded of what he was, but he's not on the field enough. That's a problem."

Despite these setbacks, Trout has performed well when healthy, with a career batting average of .297. He has smacked 387 home runs and driven in 972 runs over 15 seasons. In 2025, he transitioned from center field to right field to reduce injury risk. However, his recent injuries have raised concerns about his long-term durability. Trout is nearing the end of his 10-day injury hiatus, and he's personally hopeful that he'll be able to return shortly after the required 10-day period.

You can hear all about Trout's injury and the other things mentioned above in the Payoff Pitch Podcast below. Farkas, Tom Brew and myself talk all things major league baseball for more than 40 minutes in the episode.