The Los Angeles Angels spent a whopping $426 million on Mike Trout. He is a big name and a veteran, and the team needed exactly that to move ahead, since they had plenty of young talent. However, Trout ended up playing just 29 games and was on his way out! He suffered a season-ending injury meniscus tear. But here is the kicker: Mike never finished an entire season since 2019. Injuries have plagued him for a long time, and this time, too, the situation was no different.

In 2021, Trout missed 122 games because of a strained calf, then, a hamate fracture last year had him skip 74 games. And then, over the years, there was foot surgery he had, wrist inflammation, torn thumb—the list is never-ending. By now, many are questioning why is he a victim of so many injuries. Well, the hosts of Locked on Angels seem to have an answer–his muscular weight! 

Does Mike Trout need to slim down to avoid repeated injuries?

The Los Angeles Angels star has just averaged 66.5 games played per season since 2021; as if lady luck has left the conversation when it comes to Trout. But at the Locked on Angeles podcast, the hosts noted how there was a lot of hype when the MVP played this season, but that’s not what ended up happening. “Mike, you can’t brute force health, and that’s what happened when we came into this season,” claimed the Frisch brothers. According to them, a change in this injury streak can be seen if Trout manages to cut down on his weight. 

At the end of the day, Mike Trout being a veteran, and an MVP is all great—but what good is it if he can’t play? John Frisch from the Locked on Angels podcast said, “Everybody agrees that this guy needs to trim down and not because he’s a fat dude or overweight. He’s beefy, he’s muscular, and I don’t know that he necessarily needs that… I think that there is still stuff to be done, still work to be done for Mike Trout in the offseason, and part of that is, somebody’s gotta tell him, somebody’s gotta talk to Mike, to get him slim down a bit.” The hosts further even pulled in the comparison of Joe Adell.

Adell is lean but powerful, so they are expecting that even if Trout leans up a little–it’s no harm. In the end, if Trout plays for an entire season, hits even 30 home runs, and knocks in 100 RBI, it’s a fabulous year for the team. The team is better with him than without him, Trout’s nickname is ‘God’s Gift’, and while he might not feel so, given his injuries—it just might be time to make a change. Right now, his position for the next season seems to have been decided.

Mike Trout is all up to switch positions for the team 

Everyone is anticipating Mike Trout’s return. But this time his comeback to the Los Angeles Angels could come with a major change — he may be moving from his usual center-field position. Now this is new to him because he has exclusively played center field since 2013. In a recent interview with The Athletic, Trout said that right now everything/options are on the table. “Ultimately, my goal is to be in that batter’s box, in the field, every single day. Whether that’s moving to a corner, DHing more, that’s just something that I’ll leave up to the front office to come up with a plan,” said Trout, even mentioning he was prepped for it.

Playing on the center field can get pretty demanding physically. So, it won’t be a surprise to see the 11x All-Star playing another position. Trout also mentioned that he had anticipated for a while now that this change would come. “I know it’s reality. I know I’ve got a certain number of years on my deal, and I knew eventually, even when I signed the deal, that I was going to have to move to a corner.” Right now, he is waiting to hear more from the management about getting more time as a designated hitter. 

Before his injury, Trout was batting at .220 and had 14 RBIs and six stolen bases all in 29 games. So, given that a healthy Trout is better than an injured Trout, things might just pan out with him in a different role. What do you think? Let us know.