Angels’ Phil Nevin: Mike Trout’s Next Steps Towards Return Are ‘Imminent’

It has been over a month since the last time Mike Trout took the field for the Los Angeles Angels. He suffered a broken left hamate bone on July 3 and the Angels are 11-12 since that date, finding themselves several games on the outside looking in at the postseason picture.

Trout’s original timetable was four to eight weeks, but the Angels made it clear it would likely be closer to the six to eight week side. This would place him at a return somewhere between mid-to-late August. And all indications point to this timeline potentially becoming a reality.

Trout has been taking dry swings throughout the week, but Angels manager Phil Nevin believes he’s close to moving to the next stage, and a return could come quickly after that, according to Doug Padilla of The O.C. Register:

“As soon as he feels good enough to swing and hit a ball, which I think is imminent, (a return) will be pretty quick after that,” Angels manager Phil Nevin said. “Once he can just get a feel for swinging a bat, it’s a pain tolerance thing. This is about the time, or the earliest that recovery starts to happen, and he’s right on top of that.”

Nevin also hinted at the possibility that Trout could return without needing a rehab assignment. Although unlikely, Nevin says the Angels have discussed it internally.

“It’s something we’ll talk about,” Nevin said. “There are ways that we’ve done this before where he’s missed this amount of time and come back without having to go play a game. We can get his at-bats somehow.”

The Angels would love to get Trout back in the lineup as soon as possible, especially given the recent offensive struggles of the team. The Halos are averaging 2.6 runs per game over their last seven outings and are 2-5 in that span.

Getting one of the game’s best players back at center field would certainly provide a boost. And hopefully, as Nevin says, Trout can progress quickly through the final stages of recovery before returning.

Ohtani exits as pitcher with finger cramp

Shohei Ohtani left Thursday’s game against the Seattle Mariners early with a right middle finger cramp. He pitched four scoreless innings, but Nevin said he removed himself as a pitcher when he couldn’t move his middle finger. He hit a home run later in the game, but the Angels fell in the ninth inning 5-3.