ANAHEIM, Calif. — Mike Trout fought back tears as he stood in front of reporters and described the latest blow to a career that has gone painfully off track.

The Angels’ three-time AL MVP center fielder learned on Tuesday that he has a torn meniscus in his left knee, which will require surgery that will cost him a significant chunk of the season. Although the Angels expect him back sometime this season, there is no timeline for how soon.

“It’s tough,” Trout said, struggling to compose himself to find the words. “It’s just frustrating, going through it.”

The injury seemingly came out of nowhere. Trout scored from second base on a wild pitch and he stole a base in a comeback win against the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night, but he felt something unusual around the third inning. It got worse overnight, and he went for an MRI exam on Tuesday morning.

This will be the fourth consecutive season that Trout has missed significant time. He missed more than four months with a strained calf in 2021, five weeks with a back injury in 2022 and three months with a fractured hamate bone in 2023.

Trout, 32, is still a lock for the Hall of Fame because of all he did during the first nine full seasons of his career, but the injuries that have struck him over the last four have been devastating.

“Nobody wants to play more than Mike,” Angels general manager Perry Minasian said. “He loves this. He wakes up thinking about it. He goes to bed thinking about it. He eats, sleeps and breathes baseball. I really feel for him, but this is a team. Good teams, guys step up. No matter who is out, we’re going to stick together.”

The simplest move to replace Trout would be to have Mickey Moniak in center field. Manager Ron Washington said Moniak will “get a lot of playing time out there,” but he stopped short of saying Moniak would play “every day.”

The Angels also could put Jo Adell in center field, and Washington even mentioned Luis Rengifo getting some opportunity there.

Minasian said the Angels are also “looking at different options inside and outside the organization.” Bryce Teodosio, an outstanding defensive outfielder, is at Triple-A. Jordyn Adams, also an excellent defensive player, is also in Triple-A.

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