Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout on calf injury: 'I thought I got hit by a line drive'

The Los Angeles Angels will be without star center fielder Mike Trout for an extended period of time after the three-time AL MVP strained his right calf muscle running the bases Monday night in a game against Cleveland.

"I thought I got hit by the ball, by a line drive," Trout told reporters Tuesday. "I knew it was bad when it happened. I never felt anything like this before.

"I'm really crushed about it."

The Angels have put Trout on the injured list and he is expected to be sidelined for six to eight weeks.

"It's really sore right now. I can't put any weight on it. I want to be back as soon as possible, but I want to be smart about it," Trout said.

If his recovery goes without a hitch, he'd still be out until the beginning of July. On the more conservative side, he wouldn't be back until after the All-Star break.

Despite the Angels' 18-22 record, Trout was off to what might have been the best start of any of his 10 full seasons in the majors.

Over 36 games, he is hitting .333 with eight home runs and 18 RBI, while leading the American League in both on-base percentage (.466) and slugging percentage (.624).

"Obviously, I had a great start to the season," he said, "but not being able to be out there with the guys, that hurts the most."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mike Trout goes on injured list with calf strain, out 6-8 weeks