The Los Angeles Angels are trying to get back into the playoffs this season, but they will need Mike Trout to get back to how he played in his prime in order to get there. Injuries have hampered the Angels star over the years, especially in the last few, but now Los Angeles is taking precautions to try to prevent something similar from happening in 2025.
Trout will be moving out of his traditional center field position and bumping over to right field in an attempt to limit injuries, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.
“Mike Trout had a meeting with Angels coaches yesterday, and they determined he will play right field moving forward in an effort to preserve his body,” Gonzalez reported on X.
Trout has been one of the best two-way center fielders in baseball for the entirety of his career, so it was undoubtedly a difficult decision to move him over to right field. However, the slight drop-off in the field will be well worth it if it means Trout is able to stay healthy throughout the season.
Trout has dealt with serious injuries in each of the last four seasons. In 2021, a calf injury kept him out for most of the year after mid-May before a back injury slowed him down in 2022. In 2023, Trout broke his hand, forcing him to miss the second half of the season. Last season, it was a torn meniscus that kept Trout out of the lineup for almost the entire season.
It’s certainly plausible to assume that Trout can still be an elite player when healthy. The last time we saw him play more than half of a season in 2022, he mashed 40 home runs in just 119 games on his way to an All-Star appearance and a Silver Slugger award.
Trout will be the key for an Angels team that has not reached the postseason since 2014. If they want to get back there, Trout will have to stay healthy and be a monster in right field, and the Angels will have to find some hidden gems across the rest of their roster for the upcoming season.
The post Why Angels star Mike Trout is changing positions appeared first on ClutchPoints.
