The Opening Day storyline Angels fans can’t stop talking about

The Los Angeles Angels have a number of interesting storylines to keep track of heading into Opening Day, but Mike Trout’s return to center field has to be chief among them.

Given his age and injury history, it was a bit of a surprise that Trout was the player the Angels turned to in center field. The future Hall of Famer is 34 years old and has spent a lot of time on the IL in recent years, making left or right field or even DH a more preferable position heading into the 2026 season.

Angels fans can't stop talking about Mike Trout's return to center field

Entering spring training, one of the biggest questions facing the Angels was who was going to play center field. The team had other options besides Trout. Jo Adell and Josh Lowe are capable of playing in up the middle, but it's not a pretty sight. Adell graded out as the worst defensive center fielder in baseball going off advanced metrics, and Lowe is much more suited for life in one of the corners.

Bryce Teodosio is probably the best defensive center fielder on the team, but his bat is a question mark. Last season with the Angels he hit just .203/.248/.304 across 50 games.

The Angels are going to roll with Trout as their starting center fielder. He's said that he’s more comfortable in center and he actually thinks playing in center will be easier on his body than playing in right field. We’ll see if that actually turns out to be true, but Trout has earned the right to play where he wants at this point in his career.

Trout showed signs of turning things around at the plate last season. He posted a .232/.359/.439 slash line with 26 home runs and 64 RBI in 130 games. It was his best season since 2023, so maybe he's in line for a resurgence.

There are obvious concerns with playing Trout in center, but it feels right for him to be out there, and fans are right to be buzzing about it ahead of the regular season. The Angels are probably not going to be contenders this season, so why not put Trout in center field where he belongs? That’s what many fans want to see so why not give them what they want?