Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout was placed on the 10-day injured list Tuesday with a right calf strain and is expected to be out six to eight weeks, the team announced.
Trout appeared to strain his calf in the first inning Monday night against the Cleveland Indians while jogging to third base on an inning-ending popup. He was noticeably uncomfortable as he made his way to the dugout and was immediately removed from the game.
Angels manager Joe Maddon said after his team’s 7-4 victory that Trout was undergoing further evaluation, including an MRI.
“I saw nothing. I looked up and he was limping to the third base bag,” Maddon said Monday night. “It was kind of innocuous, and I had no idea why. It was hurting him pretty good.”
Trout, 29, was batting .333 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs through his first 36 games, leading the majors in OPS and FanGraphs wins above replacement. He was batting only .129 over his past 11 games but began the season with the best 30-game start to his career.
The Angels are tied for the second-lowest run-differential in baseball despite MVP-caliber contributions from Trout and two-way player Shohei Ohtani. Los Angeles was already shallow with its outfield depth after Dexter Fowler‘s season-ending knee injury.
Trout’s prolonged absence might speed up the timeline for top prospects Jo Adell and Brandon Marsh.