Angels' Mike Trout at Least a Week Away from Upping Activity amid 'Rare' Back Injury

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout will miss at least another week before starting more activity, head athletic trainer Mike Frostad told reporters Wednesday.

Trout had been dealing with rib cage inflammation and received a cortisone injection in his back last Thursday to help deal with the ailment.

Frostad said that it takes two weeks for the full effect of the shot.

"The injection was done into the joint where the rib meets up with the spine," Frostad said Saturday. "So it's kind of a difficult area to get to and he just has to let that cortisone take effect. He's doing some stuff right now that doesn't involve rotation."

"This is a pretty rare condition that he has right now in his back," Frostad added Wednesday. "The doctor [Robert Watkins III], who is one of the most well-known spine surgeons in the country -- if not the world, doesn't see a lot of these."

D.J. Short of NBC Sports said he hopes Trout isn't headed for an injury-plagued career finish like David Wright or Don Mattingly.

Trout last played on July 12.

The 30-year-old is in the middle of another impressive season, hitting .270 with a .368 on-base percentage and 24 home runs in 79 games.

However, while Trout is one of the best players in Major League Baseball, he has struggled with injuries over the last couple of seasons.

The 10-time All-Star was limited to 114 games in 2017 because of a thumb injury and tore his calf muscle last season, which limited him to just 36 games.

When healthy, he is nearly unstoppable, but with the Angels fourth place in the AL West with a 41-56 record, it's no surprise they have been cautious with injuries to their star outfielder this season.

The Angels rely on Shohei Ohtani, Jared Walsh and Taylor Ward more heavily when Trout is sidelined, but that won't be enough to put them over the edge in a difficult AL West.