Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout tore his meniscus in his left knee in last night’s game against the Philadelphia Phillies. According to ESPN’s Alden González, Trout’s timeline is unknown and the Angels do not expect this to be a season-ending surgery. In response, the Angels have signed veteran outfielder Kevin Pillar.
This is the fourth season in a row that Trout will miss significant time due to injury in a year where he looked as though he might get back into the MVP conversation. Trout is tied for the MLB lead in home runs with 10 and has six stolen bases, the most in a season since 2019 when he stole 11. Trout was on pace to hit 56 home runs and 34 stolen bases before the injury.
The young season has been two different stories for Trout. In his first 18 games, Trout hit .282 with a 1.053 OPS and then just .105 with a .520 OPS in his last 11 games. The overall numbers come out to a .220 batting average with a .867 OPS, which are not the numbers that we are accustomed to seeing from Trout, but he has shown this year that he is still capable of playing at an elite level.
As for Pillar, he was designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox just a couple of days ago and elected free agency. Pillar is hitting .160 with a .650 OPS in only 32 plate appearances this season. Since the Angels designated another veteran outfielder Aaron Hicks earlier this week, Pillar will likely be platooned in center field with Mickey Moniak, as Pillar has hit better against left-handed pitchers throughout his career and Moniak has not. Pillar is hitting .277 with a .770 OPS in his career against left-handed pitchers whereas Moniak is hitting .169 with a .420 OPS against left-handed pitchers.
