MLB superstar Mike Trout isn’t just talking about staying healthy for the Los Angeles Angels. The three-time MVP is done playing out of position and told the media on Monday that he’s moving back to center field in 2026, ditching a right-field experiment that never felt right.
3x MLB MVP Mike Trout Announces Position Change at Los Angeles Angels Spring Training
Trout told reporters on Monday, February 16, that playing right field “wasn’t comfortable” and that it actually felt like more running than center. Angels beat writer Rhett Bollinger confirmed that Trout already had a “good conversation” with manager Kurt Suzuki about the move. Trout also said he feels good about where his swing is after finishing 2025 on a tear at the plate, mashing five home runs in his final seven games of the regular season.
Let’s put 2025 in context. Trout played 130 games — his highest total since 2019 — but the Angels kept him almost exclusively at DH to preserve his surgically repaired left knee. He logged just 22 games in the outfield, all in right field, and zero innings in center for the first time in his career.
The bat was fine but not vintage Trout: a .232/.359/.439 slash line with 26 home runs, 64 RBI, and a career-high 32% strikeout rate. The late-season hot streak, though, was the kind of surge that gives an organization hope heading into a new spring.
Why the Angels Don’t Have a Better Option in Center Field
Here’s the uncomfortable truth for Anaheim: Trout might be their best center fielder. Jo Adell broke out with 37 home runs in 2025 but was a defensive disaster. Josh Lowe, acquired via trade this offseason, has just 21 career starts in center and profiles better in a corner. And Bryce Teodosio — arguably the best glove in the organization — can’t hit right-handed pitching, slashing to a .510 OPS against righties.
That leaves Trout, the guy with a trophy case that fills a warehouse: three MVPs, 11 All-Star selections, nine Silver Sluggers, and a Rookie of the Year award.
The risk is obvious. Trout has played just 350+ games over the last four seasons due to a calf injury, a back issue, a meniscus tear, and a knee surgery. Moving a 34-year-old with that injury history back to the most demanding outfield position is a gamble.
But Trout wants it, Suzuki is on board, and the Angels’ other options range from shaky to nonexistent. Sometimes you just let the generational talent play his position and hope the body holds up.
3x MVP Mike Trout Announces Gutsy Change at Spring Training