KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Mike Trout returned to his locker on Wednesday afternoon and his phone had blown up with texts from concerned friends and family members.
“I appreciate all the prayer requests, but my career isn’t over,” Trout said a few hours after news broke that he has a rare back condition, adding that “the last two days have been huge steps. I’m excited with the way it’s going. I’m happy with it.”
Trout was smiling throughout the interview, seemingly amused that the earlier report had spawned such “exaggeration.” He said people had inferred too much from the news that what the Angels had been calling a strained rib cage was more specifically a “costovertebral dysfunction at T5.”
Head athletic trainer Mike Frostad said on Wednesday morning that Dr. Robert Watkins, the back specialist who had examined Trout, had not seen that condition in baseball players. Frostad also said that this could be something that Trout has to manage for the rest of his career.
Trout conceded that point.
“I’ve got to stay on top of the routine I do on a daily basis to prevent it from coming back,” Trout said. “I feel good where it’s at right now. Every day it’s improving. I felt really good today.”
Trout’s injury was first diagnosed as back spasms when he left a game on July 12. A week later, when the Angels placed him on the injured list, they announced it was rib cage inflammation. Frostad explained that the muscle spasms around the inflammation in order to protect it.
Trout received a cortisone injection last Thursday, and Frostad said doctors advised it would take about two weeks for Trout to receive the full effect of that, meaning it could be another full week without swinging the bat or doing baseball activities. In the meantime, Trout will continue to work on core stability and do cardio workouts, Frostad said.
Trout said he has an appointment to see the doctor on Sunday, and he’s hoping to get the go-ahead to do more at that time.
Asked if he will play again this season, Trout said: “Of course. That’s my goal.”
Earlier in the day, when Frostad was asked if the three-time American League MVP could miss the rest of the season, he said it was too early for that judgment.
“We hope not,” Frostad said. “I don’t think we’re at a point where we’re going to make that decision. He’s going to have a follow-up here once we get back, and we’ll just kind of see what the doctor thinks at that point. But that really hasn’t been a discussion that we’ve had.”
Frostad also said on Wednesday morning that Trout is improving, a point Trout echoed several hours later.
“He’s a little bit more upbeat today,” Frostad said. “He’s starting to feel like he’s getting the benefits (of the cortisone injection).”
Trout has been traveling with the team throughout the six-game trip to Atlanta and Kansas City. He spent much of Tuesday in the indoor batting cage, watching his teammates hit.
“He’s been a great teammate,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “He’s been in the dugout, helping out his teammates. … He’s obviously a good sounding board for a lot of young players. For them to have him here and know that he’s supporting them is huge, I’m sure, for some younger guys.”
