June 3 was simultaneously an excellent and dark day for baseball. Fans witnessed an almost superhuman play from Aaron Judge at Dodger Stadium that ended in injury. Exactly a month later, they saw another star player fall victim to injury – Mike Trout. The Los Angeles Angels slugger fractured his left hamate bone on July 3 and has been out of the field since. The team, in his absence, is struggling.

The Angels just lost in brutal 12-0 fashion to the Texas Rangers, who are back near the top. With their offense and defense both performing tremendously, the Halos stood no chance. But fortunately, Trout has an update regarding his injury, which might cheer up Angels fans.

Mike Trout Is Taking Massive Leaps Toward Recovery

A major part of recovery is pain tolerance, and how an athlete works through it to still play. In Judge’s case, the Yankees captain said that his toe will probably take years to heal but he will play through the pain anyway. Trout understands the strategy, as he said before the Angels’ game yesterday.

“I know that it’s just a pain tolerance thing,” said the slugger. “Once it gets to a point where it’s bearable, I’ll be out there.” It’s been a slow and steady progress but progress nonetheless. Trout has had experience dealing with injuries before and knows how the healing process goes. But it doesn’t mean he’s not still frustrated.

“Not being out there is the toughest thing for me right now,” said Trout. “I’ve been doing everything I can to help the team in meetings and being as supportive as I can, but it’s really frustrating for me to not be out there.” The management is hopeful, however, as is manager Phil Nevin, even though no set date for his return has been set yet.

Phil Nevin Is Confident About Trout’s Return

Given the nature of the injury, it would be next to impossible to even hold a bat. Trout got stitches in his hand as he got his injury treated but was unable to take batting practice for six weeks. Now, though, he’s slowly making a comeback. The center fielder has taken to swing his bat against a pitching machine, although not at high velocity yet.

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Even when he’s cleared, it’s likely Trout will play with some lingering pain. But hope remains that his comeback happens sooner rather than later because the Angels could use some help.

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