MLB News: Los Angeles Angels Mike Trout dealing with 'pretty rare' back condition, plans to return this season

Major League Baseball Star and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout is dealing with a 'pretty rare' back condition. The 10-time All-Star left a game against Houston on July 12 with what was first called back spasms, then went on the injured list a week later with what was called rib cage inflammation.

On Wednesday, Angels athletic trainer Mike Forstad revealed it to be a rare spinal condition. "This is a pretty rare condition that he has right now in his back," Frostad said in an interview with ESPN. "The doctor (Robert Watkins III), one of the most well-known spine surgeons in the country -- if not the world -- doesn't see a lot of these.

Trout, the second-highest-paid player in Major League Baseball at $37.1 million, had been enjoying a nice bounce-back season after a calf injury limited him to just 36 games last season. He was hitting .270 with 24 homers and 51 RBIs through 79 games, a rare bright spot in a dismal season for the Angels.

"He's been a great teammate," Angels' interim manager Phil Nevin said. "He's been [in] the dugout, helping out his teammate -- he's obviously a good sounding board for a lot of young players. For them to have him here and know that he's supporting them is huge, I'm sure, for some younger guys."

Trout received a cortisone injection last week that has already begun to produce results. He has a follow-up visit next week, and "we'll go from there," he said, though he intends to be back this year.