Angels star Mike Trout gets pivotal 2025 injury update
The Los Angeles Angels had another disappointing season in 2024, finishing in last place in the AL West at 63-99. The roster was barren after two-way superstar Shohei Ohtani left for their crosstown rival Dodgers last offseason. Without Ohtani in the field, star outfielder Mike Trout was tasked with carrying a massive load for the team.
Unfortunately, Trout's long list of career injuries got even longer in 2024. He missed a large chunk of the season after tearing his meniscus twice last season. He first injured his knee in April before returning in the middle of the season, and tore his meniscus again in late July, ending his season.
The repetitive nature of the injury caused fans to worry that Trout's recovery may bleed into 2025, but he is expected to be healthy in time for spring training, according to Robert Murray of FanSided.
"Mike Trout is 'gearing toward being ready for spring training,' Angels general manager Perry Minasian said," Murray reported.
Trout has to be available in order for the Angels to get back to the playoffs. They have been so unsuccessful during Trout's tenure there that it's almost unfathomable how it hasn't been better. Incredibly, the best player of this generation has only made the playoffs one time, and his Angels were quickly swept in the ALDS back in 2014.
Will Mike Trout ever see team success with Angels?
Against all odds, the Angels have been perennial bottom-feeders since Mike Trout arrived in Los Angeles. The team has reached the playoffs just one time with Trout on the roster, and that was 10 long years ago. Even when they reached the postseason after a 98-win season in 2014, the Angels were swept out of the ALDS by the Kansas City Royals.
Despite being statistically the best player of his generation by a fair margin, Trout has still never won a playoff game, much less a series. Can the Angels turn things around in the back half of Trout's career?
Well, things aren't looking good. Trout will turn 34 in the middle of the 2025 season, and the Angels' roster isn't even close to competing. Trout and company haven't finished a season with a winning record since 2015, and they haven't reached 80 wins since 2018. Last season's 63-99 finish was the worst in the Trout era, and the Angels have plenty of ground to make up to catch the Texas Rangers, Houston Astros and Seattle Mariners in their own division.
Trout is also under contract with the Angels until 2030, so it seems unlikely that he is going to see ay sort of real postseason success unless the Angels make an unforeseen move in the offseason to bolster the roster. At this point, they are subpar in nearly every aspect of the game: starting pitching, bullpen and hitting. Baseball is a sport where one position player can't really swing the tide in any direction, so Trout is stuck in this situation for the foreseeable future.
