Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout was removed from the lineup for Saturday night’s game against the Oakland Athletics as a result of back stiffness, per Alden Gonzalez of MLB.com:
Trout was originally set to DH but has since been replaced by C.J. Cron:
So far this year, Trout has failed to match the stratospheric heights he reached during his first two full seasons in the league.
His batting average has dropped from .323 at the end of 2013 to .294. His on-base and slugging percentages have also decreased slightly to .380 and .549, respectively. Trout’s strikeout percentage has also risen, according to Baseball-Reference.com.
Ryan Parker of Baseball Prospectus (subscription required) identified slight tweaks in Trout’s swing as the biggest reason for his regression.
However, it’s likely only a matter of time before Trout irons out the issues in his swing and is back to his old self. He didn’t get to this level without being able to adapt when necessary.
Since this injury doesn’t appear to be too serious, the 22-year-old shouldn’t be on the shelf for too long.
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