Angels' Mike Trout Chose Surgery on Knee Injury over DH-Only Role for Rest of 2024

Los Angeles Angels centerfielder Mike Trout told reporters he was given the option to postpone surgery on his left knee and assume a designated hitter role for the rest of the 2024 season.

"It was an option they put out there," Trout said, per MLB.com's Rhett Bollinger. "It would have been just maintaining the pain level of it. The day I got the MRI and it showed that, I was in a lot of pain, so it would have been a tough road for the rest of the year to bear that. I felt the best option for me was to get it right and be fully healthy to come back soon."

Trout underwent surgery on the torn meniscus in his left knee Friday. He is expected to return later this season, according to the Associated Press.

"I'm doing everything I can to get back on the field," Trout said, per ESPN. "I want to go as fast as I can, but I don't want to push it."

Trout has played just 81 of his 1,518 career games with the Angels as a designated hitter, per ESPN. He has batted a career .214 as DH.

It was already a slow start to the 2024 campaign for Trout prior to his injury. He had slashed .220/.325/.541 with 10 home runs, six stolen bases and 14 RBI through 29 games.

Trout is unsure when he suffered the injury, which he said he noticed in the third inning of the Angels' April 29 win over the visiting Philadelphia Phillies, per Bollinger.

Heading into the season, Angels manager Ron Washington said the Angels planned to slot Trout into the lineup DH "at least once a week" in the hopes of managing his workload and preventing injury, Bollinger reported.

Unfortunately for the Angels, that plan fell short. Trout is now facing a fourth straight season during which he is going to be sidelined for extended time.

The Angels star has been available for an average of just 79 games over the past three campaigns. Over that span he has missed more than 260 contests with injuries including a broken wrist bone, back inflammation and calf strain.

The club is hopeful Trout's surgery is not season-ending. Operations like his usually have a recovery of around four to eight weeks, ESPN reported, although the Angels have not shared a timeline for his return.