Mike Trout can't play the field — and the Angels may be facing a harsh reality

New York Times

6 hours ago

ANAHEIM, Calif. — The timeline for Mike Trout to resume playing right field keeps getting pushed back, with little explanation.
First, it was supposed to coincide with his return from the injured list on May 30. Then, he needed a short time to ramp up. When that didn't happen, the 33-year-old superstar said he hoped to come back after the All-Star break. Then, when the team returned home from its most recent trip.
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None of that has happened. And currently, Trout is not preparing to play defense, citing soreness in his left knee — the same knee that needed two meniscus surgeries last season, sidelining him for five months in 2024 and one month in 2025.
'Still trying to get back out there, for sure,' Trout said on Sunday morning. 'But when I ramped up the intensity, it was getting more sore. I'm just trying to stay in the lineup. … I feel it a lot.'
The question now is if Trout will ever be a regular defensive player again. As the Angels do everything they can to preserve his abilities for the duration of his contract, which runs through 2030, moving into a more regular DH role has to be on the table.
Trout — who notoriously has hated talk of DHing — sounded more open to the idea, acknowledging that'll be a conversation 'down the road.'
'We'll talk about this stuff,' Trout said. 'The main thing is preparing myself, preparing to be able to be in the lineup, whether that's DHing or being in the outfield. … (This experience) has definitely given me repetition over a long period of time. But I enjoy playing the outfield.'
Meanwhile, Trout's inability to play defense has created a significant roster problem with Jorge Soler, who is still owed nearly $18 million through next season. Soler has been asked to play right field a lot this season to keep both his and Trout's bat in the lineup.
But Soler is also having the worst offensive season of his career. Those struggles have been rooted in groin and back injuries, which he said is directly related to playing outfield a lot.
'I haven't played the outfield for a while, for years,' Soler said on Saturday, after being put back on the injured list. 'Then coming here and playing, it's tough.'
The Angels simply cannot employ Soler on their active roster, if Trout is going to need regular reps at designated hitter. It was probably poor foresight to trade for Soler, knowing Trout's health issues. And now it'll be nearly impossible to trade him to another team, given his injuries and subsequent ineffectiveness.
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'He was actually very good, to my eye, given the circumstances,' interim manager Ray Montgomery said of Soler's defense. 'But it's not something we can put on him through the end of the year. We've got to figure out something.'
Beyond Soler, Trout's need to DH has forced the team to use more fringe players in right field. It's also forced Jo Adell to play center field despite rating poorly at the position. He's worth minus-13 defensive runs saved in center, after being a Gold Glove finalist in right field last year.
Trout said he hopes to return to the outfield this season. But nothing related to his health is a given. And his track record is clear: he takes longer than expected to return from injuries nearly every time.
When asked the possibility of Trout returning defensively this season, Montgomery said, 'Anything's possible,' while noting the will is there from Trout to make it happen.
That's partly why Trout holds, and will always hold, a special place in the hearts and minds of any Angels fan. He's earned that, with a decade-long prime that exceeds nearly every player's in the game's history.
But it's also true that the five-plus years and nearly $200 million he's still owed on his 12-year contract extension present a conundrum for this franchise. It needs to do everything it can to preserve every ounce of his abilities as he ages.
Trout is hitting .232. Batting average isn't everything, but it's well below his standard. He's striking out 28 percent of the time in 2025, also much worse than his career numbers.
Before this season, GM Perry Minasian said he expected Trout to have a 70-homer, MVP-caliber season in 2025. He was being purposefully hyperbolic, but the point was serious. He expected a lot.
It's becoming clearer that the Angels need to navigate Trout's health differently moving forward and accept that he probably isn't going to be that player. Both offensively, and possibly, on defense as well. It's no longer a given he will take the field every day.
'When I'm feeling good, I'll go out there and try and get back out there,' Trout said. 'I just couldn't tell you when that could be.'