Angels Owner Arte Moreno Reveals What He Wants to See Out of Mike Trout

What will Trout's role be with the Angels next season?

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For the fourth straight season, Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout landed on the injured list during the 2024 MLB season. Trout tore his meniscus toward the end of April and would go on to miss the rest of the 2024 season. Trout was on track to return, but experienced soreness in his knee while making a minor league rehab appearance in late July. He suffered another meniscus tear, causing him to sit out the rest of the season.

Trout previously missed time over the three seasons prior because of a calf tear, a rare back disorder, and a fractured left hamate bone. These injuries have caused Trout to miss at least 40 games in each of the last four seasons, including over 100 games in 2021 and 2024. Since 2019, Trout has only played in over 100 games in one season in 2022, when he played in 119 games.

One of the top priorities for the Angels this offseason is to come up with a plan that will keep Trout healthy going forward, according to Angels owner Arte Moreno. The Angels have also spoken about changing Trout's role up for next season, potentially to either corner outfield or becoming a designated hitter.

“We don't need Mike Trout to be an MVP," Moreno said, via Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com. "We just need Mike Trout to get on the field,” Moreno said. “Because whether he's a DH or playing a corner, whatever he's doing, when Mike Trout comes up to bat, it really protects the other guys and he can change the game with one swing.”

Angels general manager Perry Minasian recently spoke on the possibility of Trout changing his role too. “Something needs to change,” Minasian said, via Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register. “Doing the same thing over and over hasn’t worked. So what exactly that plan is is yet to be determined. We’ll continue to talk about it.”

For his part, Trout said last month that he is open to switching positions to stay on the field more.

When healthy in 2024, Trout remained one of the most productive players in MLB. Early in the season, he led the league in home runs. Overall, Trout hit .220 with 10 home runs and 14 RBIs before tearing his meniscus and ending his season.