Mike Trout injury history: MLB star sidelined again with fourth serious issue in as many years

Trout is done for the 2024 season after tearing the meniscus in his left knee

By Mike Axisa Aug 1, 2024 at 6:10 pm ET• 3 min read

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout has suffered another injury. On Aug. 1, Trout and the Angels announced he again tore the meniscus in his left knee, and will miss the rest of the 2024 season. He was initially placed on the injured list with a torn meniscus on April 30 and had surgery soon thereafter. Now the meniscus is torn again and his season is over.

Trout, 32, was hitting .220/.325/.541 with 10 home runs -- the leading total in MLB at the time -- in 29 games prior to tearing his meniscus in April. A variety of injuries have limited Trout to 266 of 648 possible games from 2021-24, or 41%. That includes only 41 total games after the All-Star break in those four seasons combined.

Here are the notable injuries Trout has suffered throughout his Hall of Fame career.

2017: Torn thumb ligament

Days missed:47

Trout's first injury was a fluke injury. On May 28, 2017, Trout tore the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb sliding into second base on a stolen base. He hit the bag hard, bent his thumb the wrong way, and the ligament gave out. Trout had surgery, rejoined the Angels on July 14, and hit a Trout-like .285/.429/.552 with 17 home runs in 67 games the rest of the way. This was Trout's first trip to the injured list as a professional.

2021: Calf strain

Days missed:139

Sometimes the worst injuries are the injuries that don't look all that bad at the time. On May 17, 2021, Trout was on second base, and he felt a grab in his right calf when he began to run out a pop up with two outs. He was originally expected to miss 6-8 weeks with a strain, though setbacks kept delaying his return. Finally, with the Angels out of the race, Trout pulled the plug in September and shut it down for the season. He played only 36 games in 2021 and none after May 17.