The Los Angeles Angels medical team initially considered Mike Trout's injury a minor one that might not require surgery. Still, after a week, the star center fielder decided he would need one.

News of Trout's knee injury came out last week, and he and manager Ron Washington hope that he can return before the season's end without needing immediate surgery.

They were thinking of postponing the surgery so that he could return early.

However, after an MRI, they found out that surgery was inevitable for him to be able to recover fully as the pain in his knee was on another level.

"It was an option they put out there. It would have been just maintaining the pain level of it," Trout said before the first game of their series with the Kansas City Royals.

"The day I got the MRI and it showed that I was in a lot of pain. It would have been a tough road for the rest of the year to bear that."

Another frustrating part about Mike Trout's injury is that he does not know when his knee got hurt.

The three-time MVP remained a reliable leader for the Angels post-Shohei Ohtani era.

He played 24 games as a designated hitter and has a batting record of .220, a league-leading ten home runs, 14 RBIs, and six stolen bases.

This will be the fourth straight season that Trout will be on injury bay.

He won his three AL MVPs during the mid-to-late 2010s but hasn't been the same health-wise since then.

Mike Trout's return timeline

Manager Washington can only hope somebody from the roster would step up as a Mike Trout return this season remains bleak.

His surgery went well, and he said that he is feeling good. However, the recovery period is not well-known.

"Just taking it day by day and feeling better every day, so it's been good," he told reporters via Angels.com.

"No timeline. Just come in, rehab and hopefully it feels better every single day, see how it feels the next day and go from there."

How long does a knee surgery heal?

The recovery period for knee injuries varies.

For baseball players, the average length of recovery until the player fully recovers is four to eight weeks.

Trout is only in the early days of his rehab. For now, he can do stretching and activities centered on strengthening the quadricep muscle and the area around the injured knee.

He remains optimistic, though, and is trying to contribute in ways he can without being on the field.

Washington said his star player remains upbeat after the surgery. He makes it a point to be present at the ballpark and support his teammates.

The Halos are fourth in the AL West with a 14-24 record, just a game above the Houston Astros.

They started their series with the Royals and lost, but they are set to play five more home games, including three against the Arizona Cardinals.