Mike Trout has been a name that has been missing in Halo lineups for the last month. After suffering a broken hamate bone against the Padres, Trout has been out of action.
The Halos are ready to win and compete for a Wild Card spot after swinging big at this year’s trade deadline acquiring names like Lucas Giolito, C.J. Cron, and Randal Grichuk.
The Angels want to prove to Shohei Ohtani that he can win October baseball games in Anaheim pending his looming free agency after this season.
Trout also wants to win and wants to help the team win since the future Hall of Fame centerfielder does not have much playoff experience either.
After a longer-than-anticipated recovery for Trout, he is finally ready to return to the Angels, as Angels manager Phil Nevin said the team is ready “to move forward” with him (via Jeff Fletcher, The Orange County Register).
How soon can fans expect Trout in the lineup?
Trout has been facing the high-velocity machine for the past couple of days but the ball club is ready for him to move on to live pitchers and at-bats.
The hope is that Trout faces live pitching this week.
If all goes well and Trout is looking and feeling good, a return to the lineup can come as soon as next week.
With the Angels sitting at 60-62, the Halos are currently 7 games back from the last Wild Card spot in the American League.
Although it is a steep hill to climb, the returning multi-MVP winner may be just what the Halos need to swing the remaining games of the season in their favor.
