Mike Trout could have played through the torn meniscus in his left knee that currently has him sidelined indefinitely. But the Los Angeles Angels outfielder chose surgery over staying on the field because being slotted only as a designated hitter would've had him playing through pain.
"It was an option they put out there [to have surgery in the offseason]," Trout said on Thursday via the Associated Press. "It would have been just maintaining the pain level of it. The day I got the MRI and it showed [a tear], I was in a lot of pain, so it would have been a tough road for the rest of the year to bear that.