Angels' Mike Trout Confident He Can Still Play with Rare Back Condition: 'My Career Is Not Over'

"We do have to look at this as something that — he has to manage it, not just through the rest of this season, but also through the rest of his career probably," Trout's team trainer said

Mike Trout. Photo: Jennifer Stewart/MLB Photos via Getty

Los Angeles Angels all-star outfielder Mike Trout assured fans his 'career is not over' on Wednesday after he was diagnosed with a rare back condition.

The slugger was recently told he has a condition called costovertebral dysfunction at T5, a rare issue where the vertebrae or other parts of the spine are misaligned. The Angels' head athletic trainer Mike Frostad told reporters there is "some concern" that Trout would be dealing with the condition in his back "through the rest of his career probably."

"We do have to look at this as something that — he has to manage it, not just through the rest of this season, but also through the rest of his career probably," the Angels athletic trainer said, according to the Athletic.

The possibility that 30-year-old Trout, who is a 10-time MLB All-Star, would be dealing with the rare injury for the longterm doesn't bode well for the longevity of his playing career.

However, Trout seemingly found the concern overstated.

MLB All-Star Mike Trout diagnosed with rare back condition. G Fiume/Getty

"… I got back and my phone was blowing up," Trout told The Athletic. "It said my career's over. That's news to me."

"I feel good where it's at right now," he added, when asked about his back. "Every day it's improving. And I feel really good. I felt really good today."

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The Angels star also insisted he will "of course" play again this season, and repeatedly denied concerns about the injury being a long-term problem.

Trout added that he's not even sure how the injury became such a problem. "I can't pinpoint exactly what happened," he told The Athletic. "It just started aching, and it got to a point where it was bothering my swing. But like I said, the last two or three days, the progress has been great."

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The injury kept Trout from competing in his tenth All-Star Game last week, but the Angels star told reporters ahead of the game that it was still important for him to make time for the fans.

"I got fans who voted me in and they're spending hard working money for tickets," Trout told reporters, including PEOPLE, at Dodger Stadium.

Anaheim's All-Star added: "Tickets are expensive, so to be able to be here and interact with the fans as much as I can, it means a lot to them and it means a lot to me."