Angels drop hint on Mike Trout’s 2026 outlook

Mike Trout could be back in his old office in 2026.

Moved from the center field to the right field in the 2025 MLB season due to health concerns, Trout reportedly could be doing center field duties again in the next campaign.

While nothing is set in stone yet, Angels general manager Perry Minasian did not rule out the possibility of Trout getting his gig back as a center fielder.

“I’m not ruling anything out,” Minasian said, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. “We’ll see where the team looks like when we get to Spring Training and what’s in place and what gives us the best chance to win games. Might be playing center. One day might be playing left. One day might be DHing. I don’t know.”

The three-time American League Most Valuable Player did not see action as a center fielder at all in 2025. After he returned from a long absence because of a bone bruise in his left knee, Trout never got to play in the outfield, as he instead served as a designated hitter for the Halos the rest of the way.

Managing Trout has become a tricky business for the Angels, given his injury history and age. But if he stays healthy in the offseason and his body holds up in Spring Training, there could be more clamor for Trout to play in the outfield again. 

In 2025, Trout hit just .232, but a 15.6% walk rate helped him finish with a still very good 121 OPS+.