Mike Trout Diagnosed With Rare Back Condition

Courtesy: Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout has missed over two calendar weeks to an original back spasms diagnosis. However, the baseball world is now discovering the severity of Trout's health. According to Mike Frostad, the head trainer of the Angels, Trout was diagnosed with a rare back condition. The condition known as costovertebral dysfunction at T5 is manageable, but it will likely impact Trout for the rest of his career.

The 10-time All-Star is battling a condition so rare that the most well-known spine surgeon in the world, Robert Watkins III, does not see it often according to ESPN. The most concerning aspect of the condition is how normal baseball activities can easily aggravate Trout's back. In other words, the back condition causes costovertebral joints to twist, ultimately creating misaligned ribs.

The Angels have had a rollercoaster season going 27-17 in the first 44 games of the season but having their season flipped upside down. Highlighted by an abysmal 14-game losing streak, the longest in franchise history, the Angels have fallen off the face of the earth. As of July 28, in 54 games after the solid start for the Angels, the Halos have gone 15-39. All this occurred while the duo of Mike Trout and 2021 MVP Shohei Ohtani continued producing.

As expected, Trout has put up typical Mike Trout numbers, which are excellent. With a .270 batting average, a slugging percentage of almost .600, and an OPS+ of 168, it isn't too far off to imagine Mike Trout was on pace for his fourth MVP. Ohtani became the most dominant baseball starting pitcher, allowing three runs in a six-start span. The star dual-threat placed himself in the MVP discussion with his performance the past month. In July, Ohtani became the sixth pitcher since 1912 to have 10 strikeouts and allow zero earned runs in three consecutive starts. For the season, Ohtani has a 2.81 ERA with an ERA+ of 142 and K/9 of 13.1.

The Angels are missing the contributions of Trout, going 4-7 since July 12. There is no timetable for the New Jersey native, but Trout hopes to return before the end of the season. Trout told Sam Blum of The Athletic, "Yeah, I just talked to (head athletic trainer Mike Frostad). It's not what the report came out. I think he meant, I've got to stay on top of the routine I do on a daily basis to prevent it from coming back. I feel good where it's at right now. Every day it's improving. And I feel really good. I felt really good today."

Trout is scheduled for a follow-up appointment this weekend.