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Mike Trout out 6-8 weeks with calf strain

The superstar outfielder is a massive loss for the Angels and for fantasy baseball managers.

By Heath Capps
Los Angeles Angels v Boston Red Sox Photo by Billie Weiss/Boston Red Sox/Getty Images

Mike Trout was doing Mike Trout things this year, slashing .333/.466/.624 with eight homers and a pair of steals through 36 games. However, he’ll miss at least the next month and a half of the season:

This is crushing news any way you slice it. Hopefully your league has enough IL slots that you can stash Trout away and hope for the short end of this injury time frame. As for real life baseball, the Angels are 18-22 and sitting in fourth place in the AL West, meaning it’s possible they are sellers this year.

If there was a fantasy baseball add here, perhaps it’s Taylor Ward. Angels brass have stated their faith in Ward at all three outfield positions, and Ward’s numbers look pretty tolerable outside of a stupid-low .179 BABIP. He’s got a double-digit walk rate (10.9%) and a solid 21.7% strikeout rate. There’s nothing ghastly in his batted ball profile, either. I like the 91st percentile sprint speed and the opportunity ahead of him. It’s possible Ward could wrestle away leadoff at-bats from the likes of David Fletcher and Jose Rojas, too. He’s in the catbird seat tonight (Tuesday 5/18) ahead of Shohei Ohtani, Anthony Rendon, and Jared Walsh. That’s a comfortable spot to be.

What are YOU doing with those Mike Trout shares now, folks?

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