Allen Kee/ESPN Images(LOS ANGELES) — Los Angeles Angels centerfielder Mike Trout thought he avoided a serious injury when X-rays showed that he did not fracture his thumb while diving head first into second base in Sunday’s 9-2 loss to the Miami Marlins.
Instead, an MRI revealed the centerfielder tore a ligament, the UCL in his left thumb, and he will now miss six to eight weeks after opting to undergo surgery.
The reigning American League MVP will be placed on the disabled list for the first time in his career according to ESPN.
Team general manager Billy Eppler says having surgery is Trout’s best option, but he is still upset with it:
“It’s something, you know, news no player wants to hear. And he was put in a tough spot. And it’s something I think he’s still decompressing on at this moment.”
The Angels have made the playoffs just once since the beginning of 2010. They entered 2017 hoping to at least compete for an American League Wild Card playoff spot, and they have done just that in the early part of the season.
Now, they will be without their best player for the beginning of the summer. Manager Mike Scioscia acknowledged that his team cannot rely solely on Trout, saying:
“We lose a guy like Mike, the way he plays his game, the way he plays with passion. His presence on the field is huge, his presence in the clubhouse is huge. But we have to be more than one guy, and I think we are.”
Trout was in the midst of another MVP campaign before getting injured. He ranked in the top five in each of the American League’s major statistical offensive categories.
Should it take six weeks for Trout to recover from surgery, the earliest he would return is early July.
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