The time has come for Mike Trout to man the Angels' outfield again

There comes a time when having too many designated hitters bites an organization in the behind, and the Angels are well past that. Now that Jorge Soler and Chris Taylor are on the injured list, the Angels have an opening in the outfield next to Taylor Ward and Jo Adell. Before he hit the IL, Soler was posting a -9.1 defensive fWAR in 2025 -- the worst mark on the team and one of the worst in baseball. Clearly, Soler was signed as a DH but was forced to play every day right field due to Mike Trout's extensive recovery from knee inflammation. Soler not DHing has caused his body to deteriorate in front of every Angels fans' eyes.

It's not like Trout was some world-renowned defensive right fielder, and he is still getting his legs back under him. His transition out of the DH-spot in the batting order has gone...slowly... to say the least, which does not bode well for a swift return to action or any productive defense out there. When the 33-year-old did play the corner outfield spot, he played, at best, average defense (as a team, the Angels have the 27th worst right field defense). Plus, yet another injury for the future Hall of Famer would spell instant doom for the already semi-doomed Angels. The risk of sticking Trout back in right probably far outweighs any reward.

However, if the team wants to hold onto its puncher's chance of a postseason berth, they need Trout out of the DH-spot.

The time has come for Mike Trout to man the Angels' outfield again

Trout does not need to play right field every day, the team just desperately needs him against left-handed starters moving forward. Against right-handed pitchers, the Angels can stick Lamonte Wade Jr. in the batting order and hope for the best. If the team has to rely on Gustavo Campero, Scott Kingery or Wade Jr. against left-handed pitchers consistently the team is as good as cooked, especially when Kevin Newman (or Kingery) has to play third base due to Yoán Moncada not being able to hit against LHPs right now due to his knee:

Vs. LHPs
1. Neto—6
2. Trout—DH
3. Schanuel*—3
4. Ward—7
5. Adell—8
6. Rengifo**—4
7. d’Arnaud—2
8. Newman—5
9. Kingery—9
Bench: O’Hoppe, Wade Jr.*, Campy**, Moncada**

The more competitive move the team could make would be to DH O'Hoppe, catch d'Arnaud and get Trout back to RF:

Vs. LHPs
1. Neto—6
2. Trout—9
3. Schanuel*—3
4. Ward—7
5. Adell—8
6. O'Hoppe—DH
7. Rengifo**—4
8. d’Arnaud—2
9. Newman—5
Bench: Kingery, Wade Jr.*, Campy**, Moncada**

Getting O'Hoppe's red-hot bat back in the lineup instead of Kingery, Campero or Wade Jr.'s is a much better prospect. When Christian Moore comes back and he can get Newman out of a starting job, that would be nice too.

Trout's health should be prioritized over all, but if him only DHing actively hurts the team then what is the organization to do? If he is only DHing, it hurts the team. If he is not, it risks an injury and that would kill the team. Once again, the Angels are in a lose-lose situation.

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