A frustrated Mike Trout addressed his injury-plagued season that limited him to just 82 games this year.
The Los Angeles Angels star called the recent turn of events “frustrating” a day after LA skipper Phil Nevin announced that Trout’s season was done.
The outfielder has been dealing with a hand injury since early July.
“I wanted to get back. It’s tough. It’s been hard,” Trout told reporters on Monday, according to ESPN.
Trout had suffered a fracture to the hamate bone in the lower part of his left hand back on July 3, which forced him to miss significant time.
The issue occurred while taking a swing during a game in San Diego and after returning for just one game on Aug. 22, Trout found himself right back on the injured list.
“When I came back, I was in pain,” Trout told reporters. “My swing wasn’t right. Just wasn’t myself. I was taking it day-to-day, trying for the soreness and just the discomfort to go away. It never did. Now, giving it a few extra days off, it’s going away. I’m starting my swing process. I’ve been swinging. I’m not going to come back, but I wanted to. I just wanted to get my head straight for the offseason, clear my mind. Just have a healthy offseason.”
However, there will be plenty of attention on Trout during the offseason as the speculation continues around whether he’d finally want out of Anaheim, which will again miss the postseason.
He did say that he will be meeting with the franchise’s leadership to hear what the team’s direction is for the future.
Trout described it as “private conversations” that “happen every year.”
“I go through this every year,” Trout said. “That’s private conversations I have with [Angels owner Arte Moreno] and [president John Carpino], and I’m doing the same thing I did last, what, 13 years, just go into the offseason, clear my mind, get ready for spring and, you know, wearing an Angels uniform in spring.”
Still, Trout’s comments aren’t likely going to quell the murmurs much, especially with the expectation that megastar Shohei Ohtani could be headed elsewhere after this season.
The Angels have shown every sign of trying to retain Ohtani, but with a number of pricey contracts – including Trout’s – it’s anyone’s guess as to what happens.
“People ask me this all the time, ‘Where’s Shohei going to go?’ Couldn’t tell you. It’s up to him,” Trout said. “You got to ask him. Ultimately it comes down to his decision. He hasn’t said anything to me. He keeps it quiet, just does his own stuff. As another teammate, I think just give him his privacy. It’s his decision. He’s going to do what’s right for him. We’ll see how that goes.”
As for Trout’s own plan, he said that his focus is just getting back out on the field.
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