ANAHEIM — A week after Mike Trout seemed to be on the verge of returning to the Angels, it’s now unclear how much longer he’ll be out.
General Manager Perry Minasian said on Tuesday that Trout had “a setback” and was being sent for further evaluation on his left knee.
Trout had surgery in early May for a torn meniscus. The rehab time is typically one or two months, but Trout has now missed three months, with no return in sight.
“I’m not going to get into details,” Minasian said when asked to elaborate. “He had a setback.”
Trout, who turns 33 in just over a week, has now missed significant time in each of the last four seasons. Trout suffered a strained calf in 2021, a back injury in 2022, a fractured hamate in 2023 and now this knee injury. In all of those cases except for the back injury, his rehab time took significantly longer than expected.
The news came on the same day that the Angels had to place third baseman Anthony Rendon on the injured list because of back tightness.
Rendon had been out for more than two months with a torn hamstring, returning for a few weeks before the latest injury.
Minasian said “hopefully it’s a shorter-term thing,” referring to Rendon’s back.
Rendon has also missed significant time four years in a row.
“Obviously these two guys, they’ve been banged up and I understand that they’re both disappointed they both want to play,” Minasian said. “It’s unfortunate, but it is what it is. We’ll just keep going.”
The Angels called up infielder Michael Stefanic to replace Rendon one the active roster.
Right-hander Chase Silseth has been shut down at Triple-A to get an evaluation on his elbow, Minasian said.
Silseth missed a couple of months with an elbow issue earlier this season, and since returning he’s posted a 6.35 ERA in seven starts at Triple-A.
Manager Ron Washington said right-hander Ben Joyce will get some closing opportunities now that Carlos Estévez and Luis Garcia have been traded, but he won’t necessarily be the full-time closer. Veteran right-hander Hunter Strickland could also get some chances, Washington said. …
The Angels offered third-round draft pick Ryan Prager well above the $948,000 slot value for his spot before Prager turned them down to return to Texas A&M, a source said. The Angels will get a compensation pick at the end of the third round in next year’s draft because of failing to sign Prager. They still have around $400,000 they can spend on the draft before Thursday’s deadline. Mississippi State shortstop David Mershon, their 18th-round pick, also remains unsigned.
Rockies (LHP Kyle Freeland, 2-4, 6.23 ERA) at Angels (RHP Davis Daniel, 1-2, 5.82 ERA), Wednesday, 6:38 p.m., Bally Sports West, 830 AM
