Mike Trout was back in the Angels' lineup on Tuesday against the Atlanta Braves, one game after a 94 miles per hour fastball struck his hand and forced him out of Sunday's win over the Seattle Mariners. X-rays came back negative, and Trout was considered day-to-day after the scare that cut short his night.
Trout said the hand was swollen but manageable, and that he had been able to test it before the Braves game. He took dry swings the day before Tuesday with little pain, then swung again on Tuesday and felt no sharp pain. The injury was bad enough on Sunday that his batting glove had to be cut off before he could get X-rays.
For the Angels, getting Trout back so quickly mattered because the lineup is built around him when he is healthy. The team did not have to wait long for the main question after the hit: whether the swelling would keep him out longer than one game. Trout’s return answered that part, at least for now, even if the hand still needs to settle down.
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Elsewhere in the clubhouse, Grayson Rodriguez said he is moving well through his throwing program as he works back from dead arm. He said he has thrown as far as 150 feet and is mixing in changeups, and he said he could “for sure” begin throwing off a mound in the next week. Rodriguez added that the last week to two weeks of progress has given him a lot of confidence.
Kirby Yates also took a step forward Tuesday, facing live hitters for the first time since he was put on the injured list in spring training because of knee inflammation. He threw 26 pitches and said he felt good afterward, but the next step is still to begin a rehab assignment. Yates said he will meet with coaches and trainers on Wednesday to discuss what comes next.
That conversation matters because Yates said he rushed his rehab last year and never got back to full health, a mistake that led to multiple trips to the injured list with a hamstring strain. This time, he said, he wants to make sure he is ready to return without needing extra days off that could put other pitchers in jeopardy.
