Major League Baseball

Mike Trout returns to Angels’ lineup after 7-week absence

Published Aug. 22, 2023 6:38 p.m. ET

Three-time AL MVP Mike Trout has returned to the Los Angeles Angels' lineup after missing 38 games with a broken bone in his left hand.

The Angels activated Trout before they hosted the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night.

Trout hasn’t played since July 3, when he broke the hamate bone by fouling off a pitch in the eighth inning. The 32-year-old superstar had surgery to repair the break, and he's returned to the lineup seven weeks after the injury.

Trout is batting .263 with 18 homers, 44 RBIs and a .862 OPS this season, his third consecutive campaign in which he has missed several weeks of playing time due to injury. He was still named the AL All-Star team for the 11th consecutive season, not counting 2020, despite currently having his lowest OPS since his rookie season in 2011.

The Angels went 16-22 in Trout’s absence, including 11 losses in their last 18 games to fall to the fringe of the AL playoff race despite another stellar season from AL MVP front-runner Shohei Ohtani.

The Angels’ game on Tuesday night was their first since Saturday after two straight games were moved due to Tropical Storm Hilary and its aftereffects.

Reporting by The Associated Press.

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