August has been an ugly month for the Best Player in Ball. Through games today, Mike Trout looked like a slow, tired impostor who somehow had gotten access to Trout’s No. 27 jersey.

With two games left in August, the Los Angeles Angels outfielder was 18-for-93. That’s a batting average of .194. With five runs and six RBI. And one home run.

It is the worst stretch of his career and it has him on the way to the least impressive season. And if it hasn’t shaken the faith of Trout’s numerous fans, it does have them asking “what the hell is going on?”

The Angels have problems far more complicated than Trout batting .194 this month, but his collapse has coincided with the team’s implosion. The Angels are 10-17 in August, falling to 65-64 and 6.5 games behind the Houston Astros in the American League West — and now 2.5 games behind the second-place Texas Rangers. The Angels look like a team with no hope of making the playoffs, especially as long as their best player continues to struggle.

What is wrong with Mike Trout?

A few explanations are circulating.

–He has not recovered from a wrist injury suffered in late July. Trout denies this one, according to wire service reports. Denies it vigorously. And he did put up a 4133 with a triple and home run two days after he returned from a couple of days off.

–The technical stuff. Trout seems to be telling reporters that he is “opening up” too soon when he swings. I have always wondered how much of that “flaws in my swing/delivery” stuff is real and how much of it a sort of sports psychobabble to keep players from despair.

–The explanation I like best is one not broached as often as the other two: He’s just tired. Exhausted, actually. Even at age 24. He has been carrying this team practically from the day the Angels called him up for that epic 2012 season. Those who watch him daily, including a former colleague of mine in Los Angeles, say he looks slow. Particularly on the base paths. Trout is 0-for-3 in steal attempts this month.

Here is a journalist’s take on a recent stolen-base attempt by Trout.

“He got what looked to me like a very good jump … I thought ‘he’s got that stolen’ … and the throw beats him … by a lot. I mean, he didn’t even make it close; the ball was in the shortstop’s glove and waiting for him when he dived into second. Like he was running with lead boots on.

“So Trout, on the season, has 10 SBs … and 8 CSs. Back in the day, like three years ago, he was almost never thrown out, because he was just so damn fast. It almost didn’t matter whether he got a good jump or not.

“Now, the speed is gone. Foot speed and bat speed. … He can’t finish the season. He’s out of gas, done. It isn’t just that (manager Mike) Scioscia never gives him a day off; he almost never even takes an inning off, unless the Angels are getting blown out and Sosh decides to spare him the embarrassment of a fifth failed AB and takes him out in the eighth or ninth.

“Now, it’s the end of August, and he’s worn out. Fried. Cooked.”

I believe that is the biggest issue. A guy who has had almost no time off since he was promoted to the big club and became the man we expect to great things all the time, who now is in a weak lineup, on a club with bad pitching, and he is used up, at least for now. Even at age 24.

Do we mull “giving up” on Mike Trout, as we do when talking about Yasiel Puig?

No. Of course not.

But look again at his career stats. He was most impressive after he stuck with the club, in late April of 2012. Despite missing nearly 40 games that season, he led the majors with 129 runs and stole 49 bases in 54 attempts.

Since then, he has scored less often and is nothing like a sure thing to steal a base. He also is walking much less often. He is significantly behind where we might expect him to be in doubles and triples. (Though his homer totals have held up.)

It is far too early to suggest his best days are behind him. Maybe a few days off next season, and a better team around him will see him perk back up. Baseball players generally peak around age 28, so we can expect him to come back.

Though he may not look, for the rest of this season, like the Mike Trout we knew through through July of 2015.