Mike Trout Ran at 90% With No Pain. His Return Could Come This Week.

Mike Trout took batting practice Saturday and said he ran at about 90 percent with no pain. That is the closest thing to good news the Angels have had in a while.

Trout is working his way back from a hamstring injury. He hasn’t set a firm date for his return, but he told beat writer Jeff Fletcher it could happen as soon as Tuesday or Wednesday when the Angels are in Texas. The team has not confirmed anything beyond that, but fans are holding their breath.

The Angels are dead last in the American League West with a 36-54 record. They have lost five straight games. And yet Trout still got voted in as a starting outfielder for the All-Star Game on Saturday. It is his 12th All-Star selection and the 11th time he has been elected as a starter. That leads all active players. He had not been named an All-Star since 2023 after a torn meniscus in his knee cost him most of the ’24 and ’25 seasons.

Trout’s numbers are down, but the respect isn’t

Trout is hitting just .234 this season with 17 home runs and 36 RBIs. Those are not the video-game numbers Angels fans got used to. But the league still sees him as one of the game’s best. He sounded genuinely grateful when asked about the honor.

“It was definitely on my list when it came out, so it’s pretty cool,” Trout said. “Just the kids, friends, family. It just means a lot.”

You get the sense that means more to him now than it used to. The injuries have been relentless. The losing has been worse. And Trout has been the face of a franchise that keeps rebuilding but never really gets rebuilt.

What a Trout return actually means for the Angels

Honestly, not much in the standings. The Angels are too far gone for one player to save them. But for a fan base that has watched this team stumble through another wasted summer, seeing Trout back on the field is something. It matters to the guys in the clubhouse too.

Los Angeles plays Boston on Sunday, trying to end that five-game slide. Whether Trout is in the lineup or not, the Angels need a spark. He might be that spark, even if it’s not the kind that lights a fire under a playoff run.

Trout has been one of the greatest players of his generation. But he has played in only one playoff series in his entire career. That is not a knock on him. It is the reality of playing for an organization that has not figured out how to build around him.

So for now, the question is simple: Can Trout get healthy enough to finish the season on his own terms? Tuesday in Texas might give us the first real answer.