What is Mike Trout's latest injury concern

Mike Trout has a spinal condition that could affect him for the rest of his career. He will play this season.

Mike Trout has a costovertebral dysfunction at T5. The first hint of the problem came when Trout exited a game early on July 12. He was placed on the injured list with what was termed rib cage inflammation. The pain caused by the cost overtebrae is a source of pain if there is an injury. Spasms are the body's way of splinting a joint. It is not a cause of further injury, but a protection mechanism. For instance, trauma or overuse can result in localized pain and inflammation which can trigger muscle spasms.

In acute cases of a baseball injury, the player's movement is limited in every aspect of his game. The rotational movement involved in swinging a bat, throwing a ball from the outfield or diving to make a play in the field could be problematic. Straight line running might be less of an issue, but breathing creates rib motion, so in acute phase running could also be affected.

Mike Trout has a joint injury. He has already received a cortisone injection and is resting. As the inflammation settles down, he will do exercises to strengthen the muscles of the spine and rib cage. If he can perform those activities pain-free, then he could gradually progress to baseball-specific activity.

Mike Trout has a new joint injury. He is on a maintenance program. There is a chance he could go years without another injury, but there are no guarantees.  

Mike Trout has had a number of injuries in recent seasons. None of them has been related to rib or spine related.

Mike Trout has a costovertebral injury. It's a credit to his medical staff, including spine specialist Dr. Robert Watkins, that he was able to get a specific diagnosis.