SEATTLE -- After playing in his most games in a season since 2016, Angels superstar Mike Trout was held out of the lineup for Sunday’s series finale against the Mariners, with the club hoping to avoid 100 losses for the first time in franchise history.
The 35-year-old played in 142 games, including 109 games in center field, his most action there since ’22. Trout credited the training staff, strength staff and his personal physical therapist for keeping him on the field. His only injury was a right hamstring strain in mid-June that forced him to miss 17 games.
“It means a lot,” Trout said. “Going into the offseason last year, just coming up with a plan and sticking to it. I'm proud of myself to be able to stick with it. I had a little hiccup in Arizona for a couple weeks. But being out there with the guys and getting the confidence that I can be out there every day, it means a lot to me.”
Trout, a three-time AL MVP and 12-time All-Star, batted .242/.382/.421 with 22 homers, 26 doubles, 11 stolen bases, 86 runs and 54 RBIs in 142 games. His .803 OPS was a drop from his career .963 OPS and Trout said there were times he felt like he was pressing and trying to find his mechanics, especially in the middle of the season.
“Started off great,” Trout said. “After the All-Star break, I battled through some stuff. When I'm right at the plate, I feel like I can still be the MVP like I used to be. You guys have seen it, like in the New York series. I felt like that the whole year when I was winning the MVPs. So just trying to stick to that.”
Trout also expressed gratitude to manager Kurt Suzuki for allowing him to return to his natural position in center field after a move to right field in ’25. Among advanced metrics, his range was below average with -5 Outs Above Average (OAA), but he displayed an above-average arm and still ranks in the 83rd percentile in sprint speed.
“I want to thank Zuk for just trusting me to go out there and play the position I played my whole life,” Trout said. “We had great communication the whole year on how I felt. And like I said, just appreciate Zuk just sticking with it.”
Trout praised Suzuki for his communication skills and said his teammates like playing for him. But Suzuki is on a one-year deal and his future remains unclear. Suzuki said he didn’t have an update on his status, but the Angels could make an announcement as soon as Monday.
“I wish I could tell you guys,” Suzuki said. “Honestly, there's nothing happening right now. Obviously, things can change in the next 24 hours, but as of right now, it's still kind of status quo."
The Angels are in a transition period with Stan Kroenke agreeing to purchase the club from Arte Moreno on Sept. 1. The transaction is expected to become official in early 2027, which could play into whether interim general manager John Mozeliak remains in his role and if Suzuki returns in ’27.
Trout said he’s already had conversations from people at Kroenke Sports & Entertainment (KSE), but not Kroenke just yet. But he’s excited about the future, because all of Kroenke's teams in major sports have won titles in recent years: the NFL’s LA Rams, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche and Arsenal in the English Premier League.
“It's super exciting,” Trout said. “The conversations that we had, I'm obviously going to keep it in-house but it was very positive. And it gets me excited.”
Trout remains under contract through 2030 after signing a 12-year, $426.5 million deal prior to the 2019 season. He’s played for the club since ’11 but has only made the postseason once in ’14 and the organization has suffered through 11 straight losing seasons.
Trout, though, has been encouraged by some of the young talent both on the Major League roster and in the Minor Leagues, especially after being sellers at the Trade Deadline. Trout, who has a no-trade clause, remains optimistic as a result.
“The overall season, the record isn't where we want to be,” Trout said. “We had some positive storylines the last three months. I could go down the list of guys who had positive seasons and our pitching in the second half was unbelievable.”