Angels Make Big Mike Trout Lineup Change

The Los Angeles Angels are moving Mike Trout up in the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Boston Red Sox.

Trout is hitting third against the Red Sox, a notable move up the card given he has been batting in the middle of the lineup since returning from his knee injury that kept him out a month.

In reaction to his promotion, Trout said, "I obviously like hitting at the top of the lineup, for sure," according to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register.

Mike Trout: “I obviously like hitting at the top of the lineup, for sure.”
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) June 3, 2025

Trout only came back from the injured list a few days ago, starting off batting sixth, though he is now returning to a more natural spot up the order.

More news: Angels Pitcher Returns 3 Weeks After Getting Hit in the Head by Line Drive

Over the past decade, Trout has been one of the best players in baseball with unbelievable production on offense and defense, though the past couple of seasons have seen him battle several injuries and miss a good chunk of time on the field.

Angels today. Trout is hitting 3rd (as he should be).

Kikuchi v Red Sox. pic.twitter.com/SYLyoPKVBW
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) June 3, 2025

This season, he moved from center field to right field in order to take less wear on his body to stay healthy, though he still got injured after running to first base.

Now, the team is having him return as a designated hitter, needing his key bat while still protecting him from additional injuries.

More news: Angels Manager Defends Jo Adell Amid Major Criticism

Trout was hitting .179 before his injury, still has a good amount of power in his bat, but struggles to make consistent, quality contact.

His time off the field has allowed him to make some adjustment which are paying off.

“I was cutting off every swing, not staying through the ball,” Trout told Fletcher.

“When your swing’s in the zone for a short period of time, and is out, you miss a lot, and you don’t recognize the stuff. The longer the barrel is in the zone (the better). Just looked at some video and grind it with the hitting coaches. And it’s been cool to see results.”

His average is now sitting at .225, going 8-for14 since coming back to the lineup.

Now that he is healthy and swinging well, the Angels can hopefully put together more consistent offensive production.

More news: Angels’ Mike Trout Won’t Return to Field for At Least Another Week

For more Angels news, head over to Angels on SI.