After nearly a month away, Mike Trout returned Friday night.
The superstar outfielder, out since July 12 with a rare back condition — a costovertebral dysfunction at T5 that could affect him the rest of his career — started in center field and went 1-for-4 with two strikeouts in the Angels’ 1-0 victory over the woeful Tigers.
Mike Trout went 1-for-4 in his first game in nearly a month for the Angels. Getty Images“I thought he had some really good swings, especially for a guy who hasn’t faced live pitching in over a month,” Angels interim manager Phil Nevin told reporters. “He hammered that single to left and the ball he hit to right in the ninth is probably a triple if doesn’t land foul by an inch.”
Trout avoided a rehabilitation assignment, in part because the season is winding down and he didn’t want to lose any more time. When healthy, he’s been terrific, slashing .264/.367/.594 with 24 home runs and a .961 OPS.
But he’s appeared in only 80 of the Angels’ 119 games after missing 126 games last year.
The dismal 52-67 Angels have been unable to overcome his absence, stuck in fourth plate in the AL West, a whopping 24 games behind the division-leading Astros.
