Could Mike Trout Return to the Outfield Next Season? Angels Star Answers

Angels designated hitter Mike Trout told reporters Tuesday in Anaheim that he wants to be an outfielder again.

A three-time American League MVP and 11-time All-Star, Trout has played 126 games this season — his most since 2019. Through Wednesday, he is batting .227 with 22 home runs and 59 RBIs.

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It's no coincidence that Trout has been more available to bat since he stopped playing the field. That doesn't change his feelings about the arrangement.

“DHing sucks,” Trout said at a press conference at Angel Stadium. “I’m not on the field. Definitely going to go into this offseason trying to strengthen the knee and get the lower half back to normal. … I definitely want to be out there as much as I can next year.”

Trout, 34, has five years and about $180 million left on his contract. A future Hall of Famer, Trout is the Angels' all-time leader in Wins Above Replacement (87), home runs (400), runs (1,191), on-base percentage (.406), slugging percentage (.568) and OPS (.975).

Were it not for injuries, Trout would have hit his milestone 400th homer long ago. The days when he was an elite defensive outfielder seem long past.

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Trout played 22 games in right field before missing time with a bone bruise earlier this year. Although his mind may be willing to return to the outfield, a weak body might get in Trout's way.

If so, it wouldn't be the first time he has made a concession to the consequences of his injuries.

Trout had not played right field since 2012 until he agreed to move off center field this year to reduce the wear and tear on his body. Corner outfielders typically cover less ground than center fielders, and Trout's resistance to moving sooner might have contributed to his lack of availability.

From 2021-24, Trout appeared in 266 of a possible 648 games for the Angels — a full 59 percent of games lost due to injuries. Four of his five injured list stints during that time were related to his back or lower body.

Perhaps some of those were unavoidable — he hurt his calf running the bases in May 2021, for example — but reducing steps is undoubtedly a good thing in Trout's age-35 season.

The nature of Trout's injury history also calls into question whether playing the outfield is a good idea. His calf and meniscus seemed to explode spontaneously — not on collisions but on routine running sequences. They were the kind of injuries a baseball player can't avoid without, well, not playing baseball.

Serving as a DH seems to be the next-best thing. Just don't tell Trout.

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