Mike Trout Takes 'Huge Step' Toward Return, Says Angels Manager

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout is nearing a return to the field, showing further progress in his rehabilitation from the injury that has sidelined him for an extended period.

More news: Angels Could Have 'Diamond in the Rough' in Double-A, Says Experts Trout has been battling a bruised left knee, which has caused him to miss a few weeks of play on the sidelines.

However, his rehab seems to be progressing as he gets closer to recovery.

Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports that Trout did some light jogging on Monday, which has been noted as a key step to seeing him back at the plate.

Additionally, Fletcher revealed that Trout has been hitting balls off a machine and doing some throwing and agility drills as he prepares himself fully.

Skipper Ron Washington claims that Trout has made a "huge step" towards coming back.

Thats a huge step, Washington said.

That was just about as minimal as you can get.

Each time that he goes out, theyre going to ramp it up, so well see where it goes.

Right now he came out of it in good shape.

More news: Angels Oozing With Confidence After Sweeping 'Best Team in Baseball' Dodgers Whenever he returns in the near future, he absolutely needs to be a better hitter to help the struggling Halos generate runs, especially given the difficulties facing the pitching staff.

Given his peak as arguably the best player of all time, his slash line of .179/.264/.462 is considerably below his usual standard.

Overall, he has played at a replacement level, with slightly below-average run creation at 95 wRC+.

He has nine home runs, indicating that he still has some power left in his bat.

However, he needs to get on base more frequently through hits or walks, and he must reduce his career-high strikeout rate of 29.8%.

The good news for Trout and the Angels is that he has had only 121 at-bats, making his sample size small enough to remain hopeful for improved hitting as the season progresses.

As someone making more than $30 million this season, the Angels need star-level production from Trout, even if it isn't at the All-World level that it has been for his career.

More news: Angels Place Pitcher on Injured List, Call Up Veteran World Series Champ For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI ..

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