Sports

Trout: Surgery better than waiting, DH-only role

Published

12 months ago

May 10, 2024

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ESPN News Services

May 9, 2024, 09:21 PM ET

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout decided that having surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee was a better alternative than postponing the procedure and being a designated hitter the rest of the season.

“It was an option they put out there,” the Los Angeles Angels slugger said before Thursday night’s game against the Kansas City Royals. “It would have been just maintaining the pain level of it. The day I got the MRI and it showed [a tear], I was in a lot of pain, so it would have been a tough road for the rest of the year to bear that. I felt the best option for me was to get it right and be fully healthy to come back soon.”

Trout has also struggled whenever he has been a designated hitter. In 1,518 career games, he has been the DH only 81 times and has a .214 batting average.

Trout — who is sidelined with a major injury for the fourth straight season — still doesn’t know when the latest one occurred. The knee soreness worsened during an April 29 game against the Philadelphia Phillies, and an MRI taken the next day revealed the tear. He underwent surgery last Friday, when the Angels began a six-game road trip.

“It wasn’t one particular play that did it. I felt a little ache and woke up the next day and couldn’t walk,” he said.

Baseball players who have had a similar injury and operation have an average recovery time of four to eight weeks, but Trout hasn’t had one set, as of yet. He said the only things he has been able to do post-surgery are stretching and trying to strengthen the quadricep muscle and the area around it.

The three-time AL MVP led the majors with 10 home runs at the time of the injury. He also was batting .220 with 14 RBIs and six stolen bases.

While Trout is expected to return this season, a timeframe for his return remains unclear.

“It’s tough because I felt real good [to begin the season], but things just happen. I’m doing everything I can to get back on the field,” Trout said. “I want to go as fast as I can, but I don’t want to push it.”

The Angels went into Thursday’s game with a 14-23 record after splitting their six-game road trip.

Manager Ron Washington was glad to see Trout still in an upbeat mood, but was more pleased to see him in the hitter’s meeting before the Angels took batting practice.

“No one is asking Mike to be in those meetings. Mike is at the ballpark because Mike wants to be around his teammates,” Washington said. “Any tidbits that he can give to them while he’s here, we welcome.”

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.

Sports

Reds place 3B Marte on IL due to oblique injury

Published

3 hours ago

May 7, 2025

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Reds place 3B Marte on IL due to oblique injury

Associated Press

May 7, 2025, 03:44 PM ET

ATLANTA — The Cincinnati Reds placed third baseman Noelvi Marte on the 10-day injured list with a left oblique strain Wednesday.

Marte was scratched minutes before the first pitch of the Atlanta Braves‘ 2-1 win over the Reds in 10 innings Tuesday night. He was reported to have left side discomfort, and the oblique injury was disclosed Wednesday.

Marte is hitting .294 with three homers, 17 RBIs and four stolen bases.

The Reds placed another third baseman, Jeimer Candelario, on the injured list on April 30 with a lumbar spine strain. Santiago Espinal was the fill-in starter for Marte on Tuesday night.

The Reds recalled outfielder Rece Hinds from Triple-A Louisville before Wednesday night’s game against the Braves.

Sports

Brewers’ Contreras playing with fractured finger

Published

3 hours ago

May 7, 2025

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$Brewers' Contreras playing with fractured finger$

Field Level Media

May 7, 2025, 02:46 PM ET

Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras intends to continue playing through a fractured finger that the team believes he first suffered last season.

An X-ray revealed the fracture on his left middle finger, his catching hand, which had grown so painful the team ordered the scan.

Contreras plans to play with a splint on the finger while catching and hitting, according to MLB.com.

Coming off his second All-Star season, Contreras is batting .242 with three home runs and 19 RBIs in 35 games. Contreras hit .281 last year and .289 in 2023. The pain is worse when he’s batting, according to MLB.com.

Contreras, 27, was not in the lineup for Wednesday’s matinee against the Houston Astros, getting the day off after catching the previous two games of the series.

Sports

Astros optimistic on Alvarez as MRI shows strain

Published

3 hours ago

May 7, 2025

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Astros optimistic on Alvarez as MRI shows strain

Associated Press

May 7, 2025, 12:46 PM ET

MILWAUKEE — Houston Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez has a strained muscle at the top of his right hand, a diagnosis that instills optimism he won’t have a prolonged stay on the injured list.

The three-time All-Star went on the 10-day injured list Monday, retroactive to Saturday, and returned to Houston for an MRI that revealed the muscle strain.

“We look at it as good news,” Astros manager Joe Espada said before their Wednesday afternoon game with the Milwaukee Brewers.

Espada expressed hope that Alvarez wouldn’t have to stay on the injured list longer than the required 10 days. He also said the hand issue may have played a role in Alvarez’s slow start.

Alvarez, 27, is hitting .210 with a .306 on-base percentage, three homers and 18 RBI in 29 games this season. He batted .308 with a .392 on-base percentage, 35 homers and 86 RBI in 147 games last year while ranking ninth in the AL Most Valuable Player balloting.

He has posted an OPS of at least .959 and has finished 13th or higher in the MVP voting each of the last three seasons.

“Once he heals, once he gets back, I think we’ll see a more aggressive at bat and be not as cautious,” Espada said. “I think it had something to do with it, yes.”

His potential return could go a long way toward boosting an Astros lineup that hasn’t been as productive as usual this season. The Astros entered Wednesday’s action ranked 21st in the majors in runs (136) and 23rd in OPS (.676). Houston has ranked 11th or better in both those categories each of the last four seasons.