Angels' Mike Trout Out Day-to-Day With Skin Infection

Los Angeles Angels star Mike Trout was scratched from the lineup against the Kansas City Royals on Tuesday and remained out on Wednesday due to a skin infection on his arm, with his status listed as day-to-day. Acting manager Ray Montgomery described the infection as a sudden and unusual issue, and the team planned to reevaluate Trout's condition daily. Despite his absence, the Angels secured a 5-1 win, with Jo Adell stepping in as the designated hitter and contributing offensively. Trout is currently enduring a challenging stretch, hitting just .214 in August with a prolonged home run drought of 21 games, although hitting coach Johnny Washington emphasized Trout's professionalism and ongoing efforts to improve. Trout is nearing a significant career milestone, being just two home runs shy of 400, which would place him among an elite group in MLB history. While it remains unclear how much the skin infection has affected his recent performance, Trout's increased strikeouts and recent struggles underscore a difficult phase in his career.