Angels superstar Mike Trout to move to right field this season

TEMPE, Ariz. -- After much discourse throughout the baseball world about whether or not Mike Trout should move off from center field, it's official, Trout will be the Angels' right fielder for the 2025 season.

The three-time MVP winner announced his move to right field Monday morning and said he met with manager Ron Washington and general manager Perry Minasian to discuss where he would play in the field. Trout has been decimated with injuries since the 2021 season and has only played in 266 of the Angels' 648 total games. The main injuries that have sidelined Trout are a calf injury in 2021, a back injury in 2022, a broken hamate bone in 2023 and two meniscus tears in 2024.

Trout, now 33 years old, hasn't played a position on the field other than center since he played in left field for 47 games back in 2013. He hasn't played right field since 2012. 

It will be an adjustment for sure, but Trout said he's reached out to other players who have made the transition from center to right field. One of those players that Trout will talk to is Torii Hunter, who made that transition while on the Angels right as Trout was entering the league.

Even though he labeled himself as the right fielder, Trout said he'll still get some games in center field from time to time. In addition to playing mostly in right field, Trout will also be the DH occasionally.  

As for who will be the Angels center fielder this season, Jo Adell and Mickey Moniak will battle this spring for the starting spot. Moniak has the most experience as a center fielder among the two, as he has 184 career games in center compared to Adell's 15 games. Adell should make a competitive effort for the starting nod though, because last season Adell took significant strides defensively and graded out as above league average for the first time in his career in Baseball Savant's Outs Above Average.