Mike Trout's sublime talent defined his first decade in baseball. Injuries are the story now

Mike Trout never had a significant injury in his charmed baseball career until May 2017, when he tore a thumb ligament sliding headfirst into second base. “I'm not changing the way I play,” a grinning Trout said that night in the Los Angeles Angels' clubhouse, a singular young athlete confident in his exceptionalism. Less than seven years later in the hallway outside that same Anaheim clubhouse, Trout repeatedly fought back tears Tuesday while he publicly processed his fourth major injury in the past four seasons. Trout still might be the greatest baseball player produced by his generation, but he'll never again be that 25-year-old who seemed pretty sure he was invincible.