KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mike Trout could need at least one more week for his cortisone shot to take effect before he ramps up and begins baseball activity.
But uncertainty remains long-term about when he can return and the severity of a back injury that could be a factor for the rest of his baseball career.
While the Angels outfielder is feeling better, the timeline for his return is unclear as he deals with rib cage inflammation that’s creating back pain.
“I think we have to have some concern on that,” head athletic trainer Mike Frostad said when asked about Trout being out long-term. “… He’s a little more upbeat today. And I think he’s starting to feel like he’s getting the benefits.
“But long-term we do have to look at this as something that — he has to manage it, not just through the rest of this season, but also through the rest of his career probably.”
Trout exited the Angels’ game on July 12 with back spasms. He spent the next four days optimistic that his return would be imminent. He was even in the lineup on July 16 before a last-minute scratch.
He was placed on the injured list on July 18 and received a cortisone shot that could take two weeks to work. Trout has not begun baseball activities, but has begun a core stability program and done cardio work.
Frostad was asked why the significant optimism earlier this month of a quick return has now led to a condition – costovertebral dysfunction at T5 – where there’s more concern.
“This is a pretty rare condition that he has right now in his back,” Frostad said. “The doctor (Robert Watkins), who is one of the most well-known spine surgeons in the country, if not the world, doesn’t see a lot of these.
“And for it to happen in a baseball player, we just have to take into consideration what he puts himself through with hitting, swinging on a daily basis, just getting prepared. And then also playing in the outfield. … There’s so many things that can aggravate it. But this doctor hasn’t seen a lot of it.”
Trout will have a follow-up with Watkins when the team returns to Anaheim. Frostad said the best way to measure if his rib cage inflammation is subsiding is based on how Trout feels and what he communicates to doctors and trainers.
Asked if there’s a chance he wouldn’t play again this season, Frostad said, “We hope not. I don’t think we’re at that point where we’re going to make that decision.”
Trout has been with the team in Atlanta and Kansas City. After missing the final three and a half months last season with a lingering injury, the hope is that history won’t repeat itself in 2022.
“He’s moving around better from what I’ve seen,” said Angels manager Phil Nevin. “But yeah, it may be a slow process. We’re not sure once he’s able to start ramping up. It’s just going to be on how he feels.”
(Top photo: Brett Davis / USA Today)
Mike Trout’s timeline for return unknown as he battles ‘rare condition’ in back - The Athletic
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