Los Angeles Angels general manager Perry Minasian said on Thursday that Mike Trout got an MRI on Wednesday that showed a tear in his left meniscus that was surgically repaired early in the year.  “He’s devastated. I was too,” Minasian said. “I’m not the emotional type but being in the room and hearing the news with him was tough.” Trout’s first tear was on April 29 against the Boston Red Sox and spent months rehabilitating after May 3 surgery. He started a rehab assignment with Triple-A Salt Lake on July 24, when he left after two innings due to knee discomfort.  Trout got a clean MRI last week Thursday and should have started running shortly after. He felt pain in his knee again on Monday, which required the follow-up MRI that now revealed a new tear. It is unclear how he suffered the second tear. “Since my initial surgery on May 3rd to repair my meniscus, my rehabilitation proved longer and more difficult than anticipated,” Trout said in a social media post. “After months of hard work, I was devastated yesterday when an MRI showed a tear in my meniscus that will require surgery again — ending my hopes of returning this season.” It would be an understatement to say that Trout has suffered injuries over the last half-decade. Last campaign, he missed 80 matches due to a fractured left hamate. In 2021, he only appeared in 36 matches due to a right calf strain. And because of the knee injuries this year, Trout will again finish with fewer than 50 games played (29). “Nobody wants to play more. Nobody cares about this building, this fan base, this team more than he does,” Minasian said. “He’s going to come back, have a normal offseason and come back next season and hit 70 home runs and win MVP. Book it.” It is, honestly, a remarkable and unfortunate turn of events for Trout in the last half of what might be a Hall of Fame career. From 2012-19, he was undoubtedly the top player in the sport. In that span, Trout won three AL MVP awards (2014, ‘16 and ‘19), AL Rookie of the Year award (2012), and seven Silver Slugger awards. He was also an All-Star every year. 

The Atlanta Braves are suddenly red hot.  After dropping six of seven matches out of the All-Star break, the Braves turned things around with a 4-2 win over the Miami Marlins on Thursday night. This marked their fifth win in six matches.  The Braves got to Marlins starter Max Meyer early with three runs in the first and one in the third. Third baseman Austin Riley started things off with a solo home run in the bottom of the first.  First baseman Matt Olson contributed to the first-inning lead with a two-run shot following a single by designated hitter Marcell Ozuna. Olson has been trending for the right seasons, securing five homer runs and six RBIs in that aforementioned six-game stretch.  Shortstop Orlando Arcia extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a solo homer off Meyer in the bottom of the third. That was adequate support for Braves starter Charlie Morton, who allowed one unearned run on five hits over six innings while striking out six and walking two.  Over the past six matches, the Braves have outscored their opponents 31-14 while hitting 15 homers.

Mack Celebrini is finding it hard to wait for his first NHL training camp with the San Jose Sharks next month. “I couldn’t be more excited,” the 18-year-old center and No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft said at the Hobey Baker Memorial Tournament at Royal Golf Club on Thursday. “I was actually thinking about their prospect pool and how they made those additions, and how great of players those guys are. And the people they have in the front office, I couldn’t be more excited.” Celebrini, who won the Baker Memorial Award for top player in NCAA men’s hockey, signed his entry-level contract with the Sharks on July 6, forgoing his sophomore season at Boston University. Since development camp in San Jose from July 2-4, he has been training at home in North Vancouver, British Columbia. “I feel like they’re really going in the right direction and I’m just excited for what the future holds,” he said of his new team. The Sharks want to flip the script after finishing last in the NHL (19-54-9) in 2023-24 and failing to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fifth straight season. Besides Celebrini, they also added forwards Tyler Toffoli (four-year contract) and Alex Wennberg (two years) on July 1 and claimed two-time Stanley Cup winning forward Barclay Goodrow off waivers from the New York Rangers on June 24. San Jose also signed Will Smith, chosen with the No.4 pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Smith led the NCAA with 71 points (25 goals, 46 assists) in 41 matches last season. As a freshman at Boston College he set a program record for a first-year player and helped the Eagles win the national title game.  “We met up at a development camp and he’s great,” Celebrini said of Smith. “He’s a great guy and we got along very well. It’s going to be fun together. We both have the same goals and that is just to help take this team and organization as far as we can, so that’s going to be great.” Celebrini had 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) in 38 matches last season, and at 17 became the youngest player to win the Hobey Baker Award. He was second in the NCAA in points per game (1.68) and goals, and third in points. Fresh out of development camp, he said he is working on his 200-foot game and a lot of wall play. Celebrini knows there will be a large amount of pressure trying to turn San Jose around, but he said he could not be more ready. “You never really think about failing before you even start,” Celebrini said. “I mean, we’re going to try to win as many games as possible. You never want to go into a season thinking that you’re going to lose games. I feel like that’s the mindset we’re going to have. We have the group to do it, and we’ve made some great offseason moves. “It’s my first training camp, so there’s definitely a lot of nerves and a lot of excitement as well. I just feel like not letting it consume you, but kind of fuel you. At the end of the day, you’ve got to take care of what you can control and the rest will take care of itself, so I feel that’s what I’m focusing on.”

The MLB Trade Deadline ended on Tuesday with some ruckus just before the clock struck 6.p.m ET. Teams worked round the clock to add impact bats and arms to their Major League rosters as part of their projects for the postseason.  Others fought to bolster their farm systems with talented return packages that could brighten the future of the franchise.  A total of 56 prospects were dealt who made their new clubs’ MLB Pipeline Top 30 rankings. This post seeks to rank the top 5 prospects at the MLB Trade Deadline.  1.  Connor Norby, 2B/OF, Marlins (No.5) Dealt from the Baltimore Orioles in the Trevor Rogers trade. Norby gets a nod for being a finished product. The Orioles’ crowded position-player group allowed Norby to basically build a second full year at Triple-A where he slashed .297/.389/.519 with 16 homers in 80 matches. He also has the chances to hit for a strong average with selective aggression and at least average power. He could step in swiftly and clinch the Miami Marlins’ second-base job with the chance he never got with the Orioles.  2. Augustin Ramirez, C, Marlins (No.6) Bought from the New York Yankees in the Jazz Chisholm trade. There is no doubt that Ramirez can hit for power. The right-handed slugger has combined homers over the last two campaigns, and slugged .570 over a 58-game spin at Double-A earlier his season. Ramirez has struggled some in an introduction to Triple-A (hurt by a low BABIP), and his defense is still rough enough that he might be a first baseman long term (He’s thrown out only two of 33 attempted base stealers, for starters.) He would still have upside at the cold corner if the Marlins cannot fix his issues behind the plate.  3. Jake Bloss, RHP, Blue Jays (No. 3) Bought from the Houston Astros in the Yusei Kikuchi trade. Bloss has been one of the breakout stories of the Minor League season, graduating from third-round pick out of Georgetown last year to the Majors this summer.  Paul Skenes and Hurston Waldrep are the only pitchers from the 2023 Draft class to witness The Show to this point. Bloss’ 92-94 mph fastball and multiple above-average breaking balls give him a well-loaded arsenal, which should give him enough shots at the Toronto rotation.  4. Thayron Liranzo, C/1B, Tigers (No.5) Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Jack Flaherty trade. Liranzo showed spectacular pull side power, and that helped him launch 24 home runs for Single-A Rancho Cucamonga last year in his age-19 season. He has hit a speed bump with the move to High-A this year, slashing only .220/.344/,356 with seven fingers in 74 matches. So it is an opportunity for the Tigers to buy low. Thayron’s plus arm strength gives the Tigers something else to build around, and they should have an interesting debate of Detroit’s catching situation with Liranzo. He will be judged alongside Dillion Dingler and Josue Briceño. 5. George Klassen, RHP, Angels (No.3) Dealt from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Carlos Estevez trade. The last pick in the MLB Trade Deadline is Klassen. Severe control concerns at the University of Minnesota caused him to go in the sixth round last year. The Phillies hit the ground running while harnessing his powers; an upper-90s fastball and two above-average breaking balls, and the results have been astounding.  Klassen delivered a 1.97 ERA with 89 strikeouts and 21 walks in 59 ⅓ innings between Single-A and High-A this season at the time of the trade. He still needs to be tested in the upper Minors and over deeper outings, but he might have the biggest up arrow next to his name of anyone on this list.