ANAHEIM, Calif. (AP) — Angels star Mike Trout needs a second surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee, ending another injury-marred campaign for the three-time MVP.
Trout said Thursday in a social media post that an MRI revealed the new meniscus tear. He previously had surgery on May 3 to repair the meniscus and had been working toward a return before his rehab was shut down on Tuesday.
“After months of hard work, I was devastated (Wednesday) when an MRI showed a tear in my meniscus that will require surgery again — ending my hopes of returning this season,” Trout posted.
“Playing and competing is a huge part of my life. This is equally as heartbreaking and frustrating for me as it is for you, the fans. I understand that I may have disappointed many, but believe me, I will do everything I can to come back even stronger.”
Trout batted .220 with 10 homers and 14 RBIs in 29 games this season for the Angels, who are fourth in the AL West with little chance at a playoff berth.
“It’s unfortunate what has happened again, but no doubt he has a chance to get that leg extremely well and he doesn’t have to have anything on his mind but getting ready for February,” Angels manager Ron Washington said.
The AL MVP in 2014, 2016 and 2019 and an 11-time All-Star, the 32-year-old Trout has been limited by a series of injuries over the past four years. He hasn't played more than 119 games in any of the past five seasons. He was limited to 36 games in 2021 and 82 last year.
“He’s devastated,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian told reporters. “I was, too, to be honest with you. I’m not the emotional type but being in the room and hearing the news with him was tough. Nobody wants to play more. Nobody cares about this building, this fan base, this team more than he does.”
Trout is making $37.1 million in the sixth year of a 12-year, $426.5 million contract and will earn that salary in each of the next six seasons.
“He’s gonna come back next year, win the MVP, hit 70 home runs,” Minasian said. “Book it.”
The Angels were 10-18 to open the season with Trout, then went 10-17 in May, their first full month without him. The club went 15-11 in June, when outfielder Jo Adell hit seven home runs. Young players including Zach Neto, Nolan Schanuel and Logan O’Hoppe have been productive, even as the team slipped to 11-14 in July.
“It we had (Trout) on the field, (Anthony) Rendon on the field and (Brandon) Drury on the field it would have made a big difference,” Washington said. “But we had an opportunity to watch our kids grow and I have been very impressed with that group.”
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FILE - Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout grounds out to Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Bryson Stott during the first inning of a baseball game, April 29, 2024, in Anaheim, Calif. Angels star Trout needs a second surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee, ending another injury-marred campaign for the three-time MVP. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Angels designated hitter Mike Trout celebrates in the dugout after hitting a home run during the sixth inning of a baseball game against the Baltimore Orioles in Anaheim, Calif., April 24, 2024. Angels star Trout needs a second surgery for a torn meniscus in his left knee, ending another injury-marred campaign for the three-time MVP. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis, File)
FILE - Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout sits in the dugout during the second inning of a baseball game against the Houston Astros, June 7, 2024, in Anaheim, Calif. Trout has said an MRI on his left knee came back clean and that he is hoping to resume his rehab soon. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun, File)
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — Former President Donald Trump is safe following what the FBI says "appears to be an attempted assassination” while playing golf two months after another attempt on his life at a rally in Pennsylvania.
Local authorities said the U.S. Secret Service agents protecting Trump fired at a man pointing an AK-style rifle with a scope as Trump was playing on one of his Florida golf courses in West Palm Beach.
Here are five things to know about what happened Sunday to the Republican presidential nominee.
Law enforcement officials said the man who pointed the rifle and was arrested is Ryan Wesley Routh. The officials identified the suspect to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.
Records show Routh, 58, lived in North Carolina for most of his life before moving in 2018 to Kaaawa, Hawaii, where he and his son operated a company building sheds, according to an archived version of the webpage for the business.
Routh frequently posted on social media about the war in Ukraine and had a website where he sought to raise money and recruit volunteers to go to Kyiv to join the fight against the Russian invasion. In June 2020, he made a post on X directed at then-President Trump to say he would win reelection if he issued an executive order for the Justice Department to prosecute police misconduct. That year, he also posted in support of the Democratic presidential campaign of then-U.S. Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii, who has since left the party and endorsed Trump.
However, in recent years, his posts suggest he soured on Trump, and he expressed support for President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris.
In July, following the assassination attempt on Trump in Pennsylvania, Routh urged Biden and Harris to visit those wounded in the shooting at the hospital and to attend the funeral of a former fire chief killed at the rally.
Voter records show he registered as an unaffiliated voter in North Carolina in 2012, most recently voting in person during the state’s Democratic Party primary in March 2024. Federal campaign finance records show Routh made 19 small political donations totaling $140 since 2019 using his Hawaii address to ActBlue, a political action committee that supports Democratic candidates.
Records show that while living in Greensboro, North Carolina, Routh had multiple run-ins with law enforcement. He was convicted in 2002 of possessing a weapon of mass destruction, according to online North Carolina Department of Adult Correction records.
The records do not provide details about the case. But a News & Record story from 2002 says a man with the same name was arrested after a three-hour standoff with police. The story says he was pulled over during a traffic stop, put his hand on a gun and barricaded himself inside a roofing business. He owned the roofing company, according to state incorporation filings.
Local authorities said the gunman was about 400 yards to 500 yards away from Trump and hiding in shrubbery while the former president was playing a round of golf at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.
Ric Bradshaw, sheriff of Palm Beach County, said that when people get into the shrubbery around the course, “they’re pretty much out of sight.” Bradshaw said the entire golf course would have been lined with law enforcement if Trump were the sitting president, but because he’s not, “security is limited to the areas the Secret Service deems possible.”
Trump’s protective detail has been higher than some of his peers because of his high visibility and his campaign to seek the White House again. His security was bolstered days before the July assassination attempt in Pennsylvania because of a threat on Trump’s life from Iran, U.S. officials said.
In an email to supporters, Trump said: “There were gunshots in my vicinity, but before rumors start spiraling out of control, I wanted you to hear this first: I AM SAFE AND WELL!”
His running mate, JD Vance, and U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said they spoke with Trump after the incident, and both said he was in “good spirits.” Trump also checked in with several Fox News hosts.
Fox News host Sean Hannity, a close friend of the former president's, said on air that he spoke with Trump and his golf partner, Steve Witkoff, afterward. They told Hannity they had been on the fifth hole when they heard a “pop pop, pop pop.” Within seconds, he said Witkoff recounted, Secret Service agents “pounced on” Trump and “covered him” to protect him.
Moments later, Witkoff said, a “fast cart” with steel reinforcement and other protection was able to whisk Trump away.
Hannity said Trump’s reaction after this happened — and when it was clear that everyone, including Witkoff, was safe — was to quip that he was sad he hadn’t been able to finish the hole since he “was even and had a birdie putt.”
Harris, Trump's Democratic opponent in the presidential election, posted on X that she had been briefed on the reports of gunshots fired.
“I am glad he is safe. Violence has no place in America.”
The White House said President Joe Biden and Harris would be kept updated on the investigation. The White House added it was “relieved” to know Trump is safe.
Trump has not announced any changes to his schedule and is set to speak live on X on Monday night from his Mar-a-Lago resort to launch his sons’ crypto platform.
Meanwhile, the leaders of a congressional bipartisan task force investigating the July 13 assassination attempt on Trump said they have requested a briefing by the Secret Service.
“We are thankful that the former President was not harmed, but remain deeply concerned about political violence and condemn it in all of its forms,” Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Pa., and Rep. Jason Crow, D-Colo., said in a statement. They said the task force will share updates.
U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat who is part of the task force, said he “will seek answers about what happened today and then.”
Ryan Wesley Routh holds up a banner during a rally in central Kyiv, Ukraine on Saturday April 30, 2022. (AP Photo/Alex Babenko)
Photos that show an AK-47 rifle, a backpack and a Go-Pro camera on a fence outside Trump International Golf Club taken after an apparent assassination attempt of Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump, are displayed during a news conference at the Palm Beach County Main Library, Sunday. Sept. 15, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Stephany Matat)
This photo provided by the Martin County Sheriff's Office shows Sheriff's vehicles surrounding an SUV on the northbound I-95 in Martin County on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024. (Martin County Sheriff's Office via AP)
