Trout returns in new spot, has hit in Angels' win

CLEVELAND -- Mike Trout primitively expected to instrumentality to the Los Angeles Angels' lineup connected Monday successful Boston.

It turns retired the timeline was moved up 1 bid and 3 days.

Trout was activated disconnected the injured database and went 1-for-5 arsenic the designated hitter successful Friday night's 4-1 win implicit the Cleveland Guardians. The Angels slugger missed 26 games with soreness successful his near genu yet diagnosed arsenic a bony bruise. The three-time American League MVP had 2 operations past twelvemonth connected the genu aft tearing his meniscus.

"Felt good. Struck retired connected 2 at-bats, but different than that felt each right," said Trout, who batted 5th for the archetypal clip successful 1,532 starts.

Trout lined a basal deed to left-center successful the 4th inning. He thought helium had a deed successful his archetypal at-bat successful the 2nd inning, but Cleveland 3rd baseman José Ramírez made a bully drawback connected a debased enactment drive.

"I thought helium had immoderate bully at-bats considering that helium hadn't seen unrecorded pitching successful a while," manager Ron Washington said. "He deed the shot hard 3 times today. They made immoderate some bully pitches erstwhile helium struck out. But invited back, Mike."

Trout's instrumentality besides helped the Angels drawback a five-game losing streak and amended to 28-30.

It was the archetypal clip since Sept. 26, 2011, Trout's rookie season, helium started a crippled hitting little than third.

Washington is blessed to person Trout back, particularly since helium noted Trout wasn't assertive successful rushing successful his return. Washington besides knows that Trout isn't acceptable to instrumentality to his mean spot batting 2nd oregon third.

"He hasn't seen anything. So erstwhile you look astatine what we have, that's wherever helium sits," Washington said earlier the game. "It doesn't marque consciousness for him to support [Logan] O'Hoppe. So I'll enactment Mike down him to support O'Hoppe. He's not acceptable to beryllium astatine the apical of the lineup, particularly with those guys up there. As we spell on the adjacent mates of days, he's not going to stay fifth."

The 33-year aged Trout is hitting .180 with 9 location runs, 18 RBIs and a .712 OPS successful 30 games. He volition beryllium the designated hitter for the play bid against the Guardians earlier perchance returning to close tract erstwhile the Halos caput to Boston connected Monday for a three-game series.

Even though Trout has shied distant from wanting to beryllium the designated hitter, helium has done good successful that spot. In 8 games this season, helium is 9-for-33 (.273) with six location runs and 9 RBIs.

Trout said whether oregon not helium plays much games than primitively planned astatine DH the remainder of the play is thing that remains to beryllium seen.

"Bone bruises are tricky. I cognize I americium going to beryllium sore but I tin woody with it," helium said. "I decidedly person to beryllium cautious, particularly the archetypal mates games."

Trout has missed 404 of the Angels' 665 games -- astir 60% -- since May 17, 2021, erstwhile helium tore his calf musculus against Cleveland and was sidelined for the remainder of that season. This is the 5th consecutive twelvemonth helium has had a stint of astatine slightest 25 games connected the IL.

He missed 5 weeks of the 2022 play with a backmost injury, and each but 1 crippled aft July 3 successful 2023 aft helium broke a bony successful his manus connected a foul ball. Trout played successful 29 games past play earlier the meniscus injury.

"There's truthful galore games that immoderate consciousness of newness oregon thing to marque you excited is thing that you'd latch connected to. So contiguous is decidedly a infinitesimal similar that," O'Hoppe said astir Trout's return. "He's the bosom of this organization. So we're blessed to person our bosom beating again for sure."