ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Before the All-Star break, Mike Trout said he was going to take a shot at taking reps in the outfield for the first time since June 10, but on Sunday afternoon, his return came to a pause for the second time this year.
Trout said that he felt knee soreness in his right knee on July 22, when the Angels were on the road in New York playing a three-game series against the Mets.
"Last few days it's been achy a little bit. Been barking a little bit," Trout said. "So just slow some things down for a little bit. Still trying to get back out there for sure."
"When I ramped up the intensity it was kind of getting more sore. Just trying to stay in the lineup."
Despite taking a step back from returning to the outfield for the second time this season, Trout and Angels interim manager Ray Montgomery are hopeful he can return back to fielding this season.
"He's managing as good as he can. I think he's doing a great job managing it," Montgomery said. "Unfortunately we're not getting the defense yet."
While Trout does not have a timetable for when he will return to taking defensive reps in right again, he did say it's up in the air right now, but is hopeful he can return to fielding later on this season.
"I could come in tomorrow and feel fine. I don't know," Trout said. "So about the plan. Still get back in the outfield."
Followed by feeling soreness in his knee from these reps, Trout added that he also felt it at the plate but did not seem too concerned about it affecting his hitting performance. He added on that it will be something that will be monitored for the rest of the season.
Since coming back from a bone bruise he suffered on May 30, Trout started to take reps in the outfield, but that came to a pause on June 10.
While this season has been the healthiest Trout has been since his 2022, when he played in 119 games for the Angels, Trout has been feeling the effects of a torn meniscus injury that dates back to last season.
Before the start of this season, Trout made headlines by saying he was moving from center field to right, as a way to keep him healthier and in the Angels lineup. Since then, he's played only 22 games in right and has been penciled in as a designated hitter 55 times this season.
After coming back in May, he has shown signs of the old "Mike Trout" by hitting .266 with 9 home runs, 27 RBI's, and a on base percentage of .412.
"I mean it grinds on him a little bit that he can't be out there cause he wants to be out there but in the same breath. He has to balance that with the value he brings to be productive in the lineup every day," Montgomery said. "He's been on base so much too he's not getting a break there which is a good problem and a bad problem in some ways."
