Mike Trout is letting everyone know that he will be okay. The Los Angeles Angels’ head athletic trainer revealed that the three-time American League MVP had a “rare” spinal condition that could impact him for the rest of his career. Trout recently clarified what the trainer meant while speaking to reporters this week.
“I think he meant that I have to stay on top of the routine I do on a daily basis to keep it from coming back,” Trout said, per ESPN. “I’m appreciative of all the prayer requests, but my career is not over.” Trout, a 10-time All-Star, left a game against the Houston Astros on July 12 with what was called back spams at the time. He then went on the injured list a week later for rib cage inflammation. Mike Forstad, athletic trainer for the Angels revealed what Trout was dealing with.
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“This is a pretty rare condition that he has right now in his back,” Frostad said. “The doctor (Robert Watkins III), 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 to get prepared, and then also playing in the outfield, diving for balls, jumping into the wall — things like that. There’s so many things that can aggravate it. But this doctor hasn’t seen a lot of it.”
Trout received a cortisone injection last week and has a follow-up visit next week. His plan is to return this season, and the Angels have no plans to shut him down as of now. “I don’t think we’re at a point where we’re going to make that decision,” Frostad said. “He’s going to have a follow-up here once we get back and we’ll just kind of see what the doctor thinks at that point.” Trout has been with the Angels since 2011. In his 12 seasons with the club, Trout has won the Silver Slugger Award eight times, named to the All-MLB First Team and won the AL Hank Aaron Award twice.
