Fantasy Baseball Owners Need to Hear the Latest Mike Trout Update From Angels Manager

Apr 26, 2024; Anaheim, California, USA; Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (27) is out at first base to end the game against the Minnesota Twins at Angel Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Much of the Los Angeles Angels success depends on whether superstar Mike Trout can stay on the field. Over the last four seasons, Trout has dealt with a number of injuries that have constantly sidelined him.

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In an effort to preserve Trout's health, the Angels are making a number of changes ahead of 2025. The most notable change was Trout moving to right field after spending his entire career as a center fielder.

“Look at my last couple years,” Trout said before the Angels’ first full-squad workout of the spring, via The Orange County Register's Jeff Fletcher. “Trying to preserve my legs and go run some balls down in right. That’s what we came to and I’m with it.”

Angels manager Ron Washington also said the team picked right field because it's smaller at Angel Stadium, helping prevent more wear and tear to Trout's arm.

Another change the Angels will make to keep Trout healthy is managing the star on the base paths. This is important to note especially for fantasy baseball owners since Trout likely won't be stealing as many bases this season.

Washington said the Angels won't prevent Trout from running, but will encourage him to be cautious and strategic when he runs.

“Mike is not a spring chicken,” Washington said. “We’ll let Mike decide how he wants to run the bases. We certainly will tell him, please pick and choose. But I certainly don’t want Mike hitting the ground 60 times to get 50 stolen bases. If it works out that way, it works out that way, but I want him to pick and choose when he decides to be stealing bases.”

For many years, Trout was adamant about remaining in center field. However, in light of his recent injury history, Trout is ready to embrace the big change.

“I talked to talk to a few guys, and I’ll talk to Torii (Hunter) when he gets here because he did it,” Trout said. “There's a lot of guys that move to right field that I'm gonna talk to. Just see the difference and just go out there and get comfortable in spring.”

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