ANAHEIM — Mike Trout is feeling good about being back in the Angels’ lineup next week.
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“I’m not going to give a percentage, but it’s looking likely,” Trout said on Friday. “I feel fine. I haven’t felt anything in four or five days.”
Trout is out with a hamstring injury suffered on June 17. At the time, he said it was a minor injury. Trout’s past injuries have often lingered longer than expected, so cynicism is appropriate until he’s actually back.
For now, though, progress is looking positive.
Trout said he ran on the field at about 85% on Friday, and he went through the normal hitting routine he would do if he were playing in the game.
“Twenty off the tee, 15 or 20 off the machine and then four rounds of BP (in the cage),” Trout said.
He said he’s taking batting practice on the field on Saturday, which he said he will be “another big day.” Trout also said he’s not expecting to need any minor-league at-bats before returning to the lineup.
The Angels’ first series next week is against the Texas Rangers, who have artificial turf, so that could play a part in the equation. It’s possible Trout is the DH when he first returns.
“I’ve just got to get a couple hurdles,” Trout said. “I’ve got to (run) at 90-95% back-to-back days and then you’re good.”
All of this comes just as Trout is preparing to hear if he’s made the All-Star team. He said playing an All-Star Game in Philadelphia, near his New Jersey hometown, would be especially meaningful to him. Trout, 34, hasn’t played in the All-Star Game since 2019. He was selected in 2021, 2022 and 2023, but he was hurt and couldn’t play in any of those games.
The All-Star rosters will be announced on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. PT (FOX, Ch. 11).
RODRIGUEZ UPDATE
Right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, who is out because of back inflammation, will make another rehab start on Saturday for Triple-A Salt Lake. Rodriguez gave up one run in four innings for Class A Rancho Cucamonga on Sunday.
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“It was good,” Rodriguez said on Friday. “Feeling a lot better. Back’s feeling much better than it was a couple weeks ago.”
Rodriguez said his mechanics and velocity were both “pretty good.”
Rodriguez said he’s not sure what the pitch count will be for Saturday, but he expected it to be “pretty close to a normal workload.”
BIG STEP FOR JOYCE
Right-hander Ben Joyce faced hitters on Friday in Arizona, a significant milestone in his rehab from shoulder surgery. Joyce was on the verge of returning to the major leagues in late May, but he was shut down and didn’t get back on a mound for nearly a month.
Angels manager Kurt Suzuki said he talked to Joyce on Wednesday and reported that he’s feeling “really good.”
Joyce can throw 105 mph, so he’s going to be a constant injury risk. Suzuki said the Angels have discussed trying to get him to turn down the velocity.
“At the end of the day, it’s like telling Mike (Trout) not to run hard to first base,” Suzuki said. “That’s just not in their DNA. That’s how they play the game. I feel like if you tell them to slow down, then they’ll get hurt. So I think you just let them go and see what happens.”
NOTES
Left-hander Yusei Kikuchi (shoulder) is going to be throwing from the mound “fairly soon,” Suzuki said. Kikuchi has been out since late April. …
The Angels entered play on Friday needing just 11 hits to reach 90,000 in their franchise history.
UP NEXT
Red Sox (RHP Sonny Gray, 9-1, 2.69 ERA) at Angels (LHP Sam Aldegheri, 3-3, 4.85 ERA), Saturday, 6:38 p.m., ABTV, 830 AM
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