The MLB world was shocked when it was reported last month that Los Angeles Angels star outfielder Mike Trout was dealing with a “rare back injury” and that his MLB career was potentially in jeopardy.
The specific injury was diagnosed as a costovertebral dysfunction at T5 in his back, which is reportedly something that even experienced back surgeons don’t see all that often.
While this appears to be something that Trout will likely deal with for the rest of his career, it seems as though he is working through this issue and has made big strides to return from his injury.
According to Angels head athletic trainer Mike Frostad, Trout started swinging a bat again on Saturday, and will continue to increase his activity depending on his he feels moving forward, via Angels beat reporter Jeff Fletcher.
Mike Trout started swinging a bat today. Just “dry swings” (no ball). He will increase the activity as they see how he feels. “Everything went well” today, said head athletic trainer Mike Frostad.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) August 6, 2022
Trout has not played for the Angels since July 12th, and it has clearly shown in the team’s performance with the team holding only a 7-11 record since his absence began.
The team will likely proceed with caution moving forward with Trout considering the severity of the injury, as well as their current standing well outside of the playoff hunt in the American League.
That being said, Trout has remained adamant that his career is not in jeopardy, and that he plans to return at some point this season.
Swinging a bat again is a great step in making that happen, but it will ultimately depend on how his body reacts to this activity as the Angels manage Trout on a day-to-day basis.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.