Mike Trout was removed after the first two innings of his first minor league rehab game on Tuesday with soreness in his surgically-repaired left knee, the Los Angeles Angels announced, adding that their superstar center fielder is day-to-day.
Trout has been out since suffering a torn meniscus in that knee on April 29, undergoing surgery four days later, but was days away from returning to major league action.
Angels manager Ron Washington previously told reporters the plan was for Trout to play five innings on Tuesday, serve as the designated hitter on Wednesday and play another seven innings on Thursday, after which he might be activated off the injured list.
His timetable is currently uncertain.
Trout, 32, is a generational talent who finished within the top two in American League MVP voting seven times from 2012 to 2019. But he has been ravaged by injury in recent years, playing in less than 50% of the Angels’ games from 2021 to 2023 because of ailments to his right calf, upper back and left hand.
The three-time MVP held an .867 OPS with 10 home runs through his first 29 games of 2024 before suffering his latest injury.
Trout started in center field and struck out looking in his only at-bat for the Triple-A Salt Lake Bees on Tuesday, then came back onto the field to sign autographs.