Good news:
ngels superstar Mike Trout, who said he’s feeling better after being hit by a fastball on his left elbow on Thursday, returned to the Angels' lineup in the No. 3 spot for the series opener on Monday against the Rangers. Star third baseman Anthony Rendon, who's been out since April 10 with a groin strain, was activated from the injured list and also returned to the lineup, batting cleanup,
Trout missed three games with a bruised elbow, even though the pitch hit directly on his elbow pad. But he felt better on Monday after taking some swings on Sunday and said he's ready to go.
“It’s still a little sore but it's definitely improved the last few days," Trout said.
Trout, a three-time AL MVP and eight-time All-Star, also described what he felt after the ball hit his elbow. He initially remained in the game but was removed the next inning, as the discomfort worsened and didn’t improve as quickly as he had hoped.
“It hit me square on the pad,” Trout said. “It hit a nerve and from like my shoulder all the way to my fingers went numb and it just got progressively worse. They took me out of the game and got treatment, and then I came in the next morning, it was all right. Like midday, starting to swell up again. And then yesterday, it felt OK but felt it when I was swinging a little bit. I knew it was a day game and with a night game tonight, I wanted that extra time to recover.”
Trout also reiterated that he thought the fastball was a slider from lefty Cristian Javier and that’s why he turned his body as the pitch came closer him. Trout explained he was trying to protect his face because he doesn’t see the ball well at Minute Maid Ballpark.
“It was like a last-minute thing where I was trying to get out of the way,” Trout said. “I thought it was going to break and was running toward me. I was waiting for it to break and I thought it was going to hit me in the face. I definitely wasn’t trying to get hit.”
https://www.mlb.com/news/mike-trout-angels-lineup-monday-vs-rangers