Trout is too valuable to remove from top of lineup

ANAHEIM -- Angels manager Mike Scioscia has said, on numerous occasions, that Mike Trout will ultimately wind up as a middle-of-the-order hitter.

However, even with Albert Pujols struggling, it does not appear Trout's name will appear third on Scioscia's lineup card in the near future.

"When Mike goes to the three spot, we're going to rework a lot of the lineup," Scioscia said. "I think you're definitely looking for some table-setters in the one and two spots if you have Mike in the three spot, and I'm not sure we have that much depth right now."

In addition to reworking the top of the order, moving Trout would also force Scioscia to find a new spot for Pujols.

Pujols is hitting just .111 (5-for-45) in the past 11 games and although dropping him in the order may take away some pressure, Scioscia does not feel it is necessary.

"He's still a presence in the lineup, and we're still winning games," Scioscia said. "We definitely need his production. You're only going to dramatically change a lineup if it's for the greater good of the whole group. I'm not sure if there's any lineups that we've looked at that are going to move Albert out of that hole that are going to move us ahead at this point right now."