It’s been a difficult season for Mike Trout in 2025. This season, Mike Trout has been forced to step outside of his comfort zone by Ron Washington and Perry Minasian, who have moved him from his typical two-hole position in the lineup to right field instead of centerfield. With his batting order today, Washington certainly took Trout by surprise.
Angels activate Mike Trout and make puzzling lineup decision in his return
Yes, after missing far more time than anticipated due to a painful left knee, Trout is back in the Angels lineup. In order to play every day, Matthew Lugo was optioned down to Triple-A. Trout, who last played on April 30th, will be making a comeback with a.179/.264/.462/.727 slash line, a 30% K%,.159 BABIP, nine home runs, and 18 RBIs in his first game of the month. Additionally, he is now batting in the fifth hole, which is the first time since 2011 that he has not been in the first three of an order. The Angels had Maicer Izturis, Alberto Callaspo, and Vernon Wells on the roster the previous time Trout batted outside the first three in the order.
Jorge Soler is slashing.202/.287/.310/.597 with a terrible, and Trout is hitting just underneath him. This month, 107 ISO. The reasoning for this is…interesting. Trout hit third in the batting order in 27 of his 29 games this season, establishing himself as a mainstay in the three-hole before going on the injured list. Before Opening Day, the Angels captain’s decision to start outside of the second slot felt a little out of place. Trout has spent vast majority of his career batting second, and now he is batting fifth. Is Washington attempting to communicate anything here?
Although the Angels star’s K% is far from ideal, his slash line should be much higher given his low BABIP and usually next-level elite exit velocity numbers. Did Wash not take note of Taylor Ward’s comeback, the player he put in the three-hole rather than the future first ballot Hall of Famer?
As Washington hinted to the other day, Trout will also be DHing in his comeback. Since he is still finding his bearings and needs to get over some rust, he will continue to DH for at least the next week. In addition to still adjusting to right field, he left with an average arm value and a below-average OAA rating. It will be intriguing to see how Trout appears on the basepaths if he shows up tonight.
