Mike Trout fighting back tears talking about injury is a tough watch for Angels fans

Sad stuff.

Apr 13, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA;  Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) gets
Apr 13, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout (27) gets / Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

It is easy for fans of the Los Angeles Angels or any team to be frustrated or even angry when one of the team's best players goes down with an injury. These sorts of injuries derail entire seasons, and for fans that devote their time and money to their favorite teams, emotions can understandably run high.

However, Mike Trout's response to his latest injury was a stark reminder that these guys are human and, for the most part, want to be out there as much as anybody.

Everyone is aware at this point that Trout has had some truly terrible luck with injuries in recent years. When it was revealed Tuesday that he had torn the meniscus in his knee and needed surgery, it was a familiar gut punch for everyone involved including Trout.

That wasn't any more evident than when he sat down with the media before Tuesday's game and had to hold back tears talking about his latest setback.

Angels' Mike Trout struggles with emotions while describing his knee injury

Everything about this is just sad. When describing the injury, Trout couldn't even pinpoint the exact moment when it happened as he fought back tears when faced with the prospect of another stint on the IL.

All he was doing was running off the field when he noticed a bit of soreness, but he played the rest of the game normally without issue. The soreness persisted to the point where he got with the training staff to get it checked out just like he should have. Unfortunately, the news was worse than anyone expected, and now the Angels are going to be without him for a while.

One of the worst parts about all of this is that Trout has been the consummate teammate and Angel. Despite having the highest earning potential in all of baseball for a long stretch of time, Trout signed a pair of extensions with the Angels including his then-record $430 million deal when he could have held out and made stupid money in free agency (while also going to a better team). During the franchise's darkest times (including this offseason), he has reiterated that he has no desire to play anywhere else. He wanted to stay an Angel. He wants to play for the Angels and at a high level.

When the dust settles on Trout's career, you would be foolish to not consider him to be among the best to ever play the game of baseball. If his career ended today, he would be a Hall of Famer based on everything he has done in his career so far (no, that isn't a debate).

Still, like Sandy Koufax and Ken Griffey Jr., it is hard not to feel like we were robbed of some of his prime years because his body simply didn't allow for him to play the game the way he wants to. Hopefully he bounces back from this and shows how special he is for a while longer.

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