Welcome to The Opener, where every weekday morning you’ll get a fresh, topical column to start your day from one of SI.com’s MLB writers.
The best player in baseball spent his 30th birthday riding a stationary bike and working with Blood Flow Restriction (BFR) bands. Mike Trout of the Angels has not played baseball nor even engaged in baseball activities since May 17, when he strained his right calf and was expected to miss six to eight weeks. It has been 12 weeks, with no sign yet of an imminent return.
The quiet passing of his birthday Saturday was a symbolic one.