Mike Trout News Just Became More Disappointing

This was disappointing news for fans who hoped to see Trout play on one of the more talented Team USA rosters the World Baseball Classic has seen. It became even more disappointing on Wednesday when it was announced that Arizona Diamondbacks outfielder Corbin Carroll had suffered a hamate bone injury that would sideline him for several weeks.

Carroll was slated to play for Team USA, leaving them with a hole in the outfield. Trout is not among those being considered as a replacement. According to Jon Morosi of MLB Network, Steven Kwan, Tyler Soderstrom, Riley Greene, Roman Anthony, James Wood, Wyatt Langford and Kyle Stowers are among the options to replace Carroll.

Had Trout not been facing insurance issues, he would have likely been on the team to begin with, and would certainly be among the favorites to replace Carroll.

Despite a career-worst year in 2025, Trout still posted a 121 OPS+ which rates well-above league average. Because of his patience and power, the 34-year-old is one of the highest-floor hitters in baseball.

For his career, Trout owns a .976 OPS that ranks second only to Aaron Judge among active hitters. His counting stats have been suppressed by injuries, but he still has 404 home runs, 1,018 RBIs and 1,754 hits.

In his prime, Trout had nine straight top-five MVP finishes. He was the consensus best player in baseball for most of the 2010s and remains a steadying presence in the Angels' lineup when healthy. While Trout's absence from the World Baseball Classic is disappointing, MLB fans will feel better if they get a healthy season in 2026 from one of the all-time greats.