Angels’ Trout details a ‘frustrating’ year cut short
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Alden Gonzalez, ESPN Staff Writer
ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout, typically as composed as anybody in his profession, was visibly emotional while talking about his recent string of injuries Monday, one day after Los Angeles Angels manager Phil Nevin declared that Trout would not return from his recent hand injury in time to play again this season.
Trout, on a trajectory to being one of the greatest players in baseball history as recently as 2020, has played in fewer than half of the Angels’ games over the past three years.
His tally this year will be 82.
“Yeah, it’s frustrating,” Trout said, visibly shaken. “I wanted to get back. It’s tough. It’s been hard.”
Trout, 32, won three American League MVP awards within his first eight full seasons and finished as the runner-up in four other instances. But a torn calf muscle kept him off the field beyond the middle of May in 2021. In 2022, he missed a little more than a month around midseason because of a troublesome back issue. His goal entering 2023 was simply to remain healthy.
“I hired a ton of people to work on my body,” Trout said. “My body felt great. A freak thing happened and I broke my hand.”
Trout suffered a fracture to the hamate bone on the bottom part of his left hand while completing a swing in San Diego on July 3. He pushed to come back seven weeks later, on Aug. 22, with the Angels still on the fringes of contention, but his hand didn’t respond favorably. He played in one game before returning to the injured list and will not be activated again, his season ending with a .263/.367/.490 slash line and 18 home runs.
“When I came back, I was in pain,” Trout said. “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.”
This offseason will come with more questions than ever for Trout and the Angels. Trout has seven years and nearly $250 million remaining on the mega-extension he signed heading into the 2019 season, and there are questions throughout the industry about whether he and the Angels might actually part ways.
Trout’s age and recent injury history — not to mention the fact that he has the right to block any trade — would make it exceedingly difficult to move his contract. But former teammates have wondered recently if Trout has reached a tipping point and might ask Angels owner Arte Moreno, team president John Carpino and general manager Perry Minasian to work out a trade this offseason. Trout gave no indications that was the case while addressing the media Monday, but he also didn’t necessarily dispel the notion.
He is expected to meet with the front office to talk about the team’s direction in the near future.
“These conversations happen every year, not just this year,” Trout said. “They’re private conversations I have with the front office — John and Perry, all those guys up there. So just keep it as that. The plan, as it always is, is to take a couple weeks off in the offseason, clear my mind, get in shape, get ready to play and go from there.”
Trout provided a similar answer when asked if he wants to see it through with the Angels, saying: “I go through this every year. That’s private conversations I have with Arte and John, 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.”
The Angels began the final week of the regular season with a 70-86 record, having already clinched their eighth consecutive losing season to set a franchise record.
The Angels went on a run early in the second half to vault back into contention, at which point the front office decided not to trade Shohei Ohtani and instead augment an ailing roster by dealing away prospects from a relatively thin farm system. The Angels then went 8-19 during a nightmarish August, a month that saw Ohtani suffer a torn ulnar collateral ligament that prematurely ended his season as a pitcher. Ohtani, whose season as a hitter ended with an oblique injury, will soon enter free agency and is widely expected to sign elsewhere.
“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.”
The Angels are expected to do everything possible to re-sign Ohtani. But they’re burdened by their commitment with Anthony Rendon, who has played in just 148 games over the past three years and is owed another $114 million over the next three. Young players such as catcher Logan O’Hoppe, shortstop Zach Neto, first baseman Nolan Schanuel and outfielder Mickey Moniak have emerged this season, but the Angels would nonetheless have a litany of holes to fill throughout their roster this offseason if they hope to try to contend next year.
Of utmost importance is for Trout to get healthy.
Nobody feels that more than him.
“I just want to be out there,” Trout said. “Injuries suck. All the hard work and stuff and just freak stuff happens. I try to stay positive.”
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Dave Wilson
AUSTIN, Texas — A week after Arch Manning struggled in a loss at Ohio State, Texas coach Steve Sarkisian saw his quarterback bounce back in a 38-7 win over San Jose State and said this game showcased more of Manning’s style.
Manning matched a career high with four touchdown passes, going 19-of-30 for 295 yards, and added a 20-yard touchdown scramble, tiptoeing down the left sideline at the end of the third quarter.
“I thought today was a by-product of the week of work. He played aggressive throughout the week. He studied the game plan. He knew exactly what we were trying to do, and I thought today he played more of his style,” Sarkisian said. “He extended plays, used his legs, scrambles for a touchdown. That’s the style of player that he is.”
On several plays, Manning rolled out and found receivers. A few of his passes were dropped, with Sarkisian saying Texas “didn’t catch the ball great for him.” But Sarkisian was pleased that Manning made plays when things broke down.
“Him playing his game and not trying to play at somebody else’s style of game, I think it is important for him,” Sarkisian said.
Manning also threw a bad interception while under pressure, heaving the ball into double coverage from the Spartans’ 14-yard line. San Jose State defenders had a shot at picking off a couple of his other throws but failed to haul them in.
“A lot to work on,” Manning said. “I thought it was sloppy for my part. Can’t turn the ball over in the red area. I’ve got to play better. I think all around, it was a little sloppy.”
Manning started slowly, going 3-of-6 for 11 yards on his first two drives. But then, on a third-and-3 with 2:52 left in the first quarter, Manning found Parker Livingstone along the left sideline, and he turned it upfield for an 83-yard touchdown.
The touchdown throw was part of a stretch where Manning went 5-for-5 for 142 yards and four touchdowns, including TDs on three consecutive passing attempts — a 3-yarder to Livingstone, then 36- and 16-yarders to tight end Jack Endries.
“Anytime you can get points on the board after a slow start, it feels good,” Manning said. “Then, [we] finally got some rhythm. Defense started stepping up, too, so we’ve just got to start quicker next week.”
The Longhorns, who committed 12 penalties for 115 yards, have four new offensive line starters, and many new players at wide receiver and tight end. And even Texas stars such as edge rusher Colin Simmons (two penalties for offsides, one for roughing the passer) didn’t perform their best.
“I think as our team in general goes, this is not the best version of Texas football this season that we’re going to see,” Sarkisian said. “My foot’s got to get in their butt here on Monday morning. That’s unacceptable. And there’s a standard in which we want to play the game, and 12 penalties does not meet that standard.”
Manning said all week that he had to play better for Texas to win. He was encouraged by his performance Saturday, finding a way to make plays, but doesn’t believe he’s at his best.
Sarkisian said Manning is gifted with his dual-threat abilities, but his team is learning on the fly how to block for him while he’s scrambling or that he could throw while on the move.
“There’s things that we’re learning as we go as a team, but those are some of the growing pains that we have to work through,” Sarkisian said.
Those growing pains still resulted in an easy win at home Saturday. For Sarkisian, he said he can see the trust growing among his players, including Manning.
“The guys rally around him, you can feel it today on the sidelines,” Sarkisian said. “They really like playing with Arch, and that’s important.”
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Andrea Adelson
The father of Florida State linebacker Ethan Pritchard was on the sideline Saturday for the Seminoles’ game against East Texas A&M.
Earl Pritchard and another family member were on the sideline wearing his son’s No. 35 jersey. Ethan Pritchard remains hospitalized in Tallahassee after surviving a gunshot wound to the head last weekend.
Prayers up. pic.twitter.com/NCTZyoxiTV
— Warchant.com (@Warchant) September 6, 2025
Florida State safety Earl Little Jr. brought out a No. 35 jersey to midfield for the coin toss, and Florida State players wore No. 35 wristbands to honor their teammate.
All Garnet with the Gold lids
Continuing to think about Ethan 🙏🏼#NoleFamily | #KeepCLIMBing pic.twitter.com/FD6GSNpo5F
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) September 6, 2025
#NoleFamily 🍢 pic.twitter.com/HSTjx9e7xp
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) September 6, 2025
Defensive tackle Darrell Jackson Jr. wore a T-shirt with Pritchard’s face on it during pregame warmups.
According to Earl Pritchard, Ethan Pritchard was driving his aunt home when he was shot in the back of the head in Havana, Florida, 16 miles from Tallahassee, on Sunday night.
The Seminoles routed East Texas A&M 77-3 on Saturday, after which coach Mike Norvell presented Earl Pritchard with the game ball, and asked him to break the rock – a tradition generally given to the player of the game after each Seminoles victory.
💛♥️ #NoleFamily pic.twitter.com/kg2kJtMNRA
— FSU Football (@FSUFootball) September 6, 2025
Norvell grew emotional as he discussed Pritchard during his postgame media availability.
“The way that he plays the game … he loves it, he absolutely loves it. To know that right now that’s taken away from him in a senseless act, you don’t always know why you have to go through things in life but I do believe God has his hand over Ethan and this football team,” Norvell said.
“To have Earl here today – He’s a wonderful man, and being with him I know it’s so very hard. I know it’s hard for anybody to have to go through, but he told me early in this week, ‘I know where my boy wants to be so I’m going to go stand in his place for him.'”
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