It’s early in the 2026 MLB season but there are signs that the multi-MVP-winning version of Mike Trout is returning to the Los Angeles Angels lineup.
During Tuesday’s 7–1 Angels win in the Bronx, Trout blasted a solo home run in the first inning, his fifth this season, off of New York Yankees starter Ryan Weathers. Trout in circling the bases at the start of the game was the first of five Angels teammates to go yard on the night. His bat is hot. The Angels are 9–9, just a half game behind the Texas Rangers and Athletics in the American League West.
The first inning round-tripper by Trout was his third consecutive at-bat with a home run. Moreover, the second game of a four-game series in New York saw Los Angeles launch back-to-back-to-back bombs in the top of the first inning by Trout, Jo Adell, and Jorge Soler.
The night before, in an 11–10 Yankees victory, Trout smacked two home runs and collected five RBIs in as many at-bats. Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge, who like Trout is a former three-time American League MVP, also connected with homers.
The crowd of 35,789 in the Bronx witnessed 26 hits collectively in the series’ opening game. Trout’s 11 All-Star Game selections versus Judge’s seven All-Star nods added intrigue to the two teams’ leaders meeting at Yankee Stadium. Each gained two hits on the night.
The last time in MLB history that two three-time MVP winners hit multiple home runs in the same game was in 1956.
Although at this early stage of the season, postseason considerations are premature, it is clear, through 18 games, Trout is once again a difference-maker for the club that he has been playing for since 2011.
As the leader of the Angels, Trout, 34, remains positive about offering a productive season, not only from him, but from the whole lineup. After Tuesday’s game, Trout spoke with MLB.com about how the comeback win feels.
“It was good,” Trout said. “Last night was just the back and forth, and it obviously didn’t come out with what we wanted to with the loss. But we came back and turned the page quick and kept the same rhythm offensively.”
The production generated by Trout in the two games alone in New York serves notice to the rest of the Angels’ opponents that a healthy No. 27 in center field translates to frustration for opposing pitchers in 2026. Monday’s blasts made for Trout’s 31st multi-homer game.
However, keeping Trout healthy and in first-year manager Kurt Suzuki’s lineup regularly is a challenge for the Angels training staff. Since May 2021, Trout has missed more than 300 games due to various injuries.
Last season, it was a left knee meniscus tear that ended Trout’s availability. The 2025 season was the first time since the 2022 season that Trout played in 100 or more games. In July 2023, a broken left wrist sidelined the 2012 American League Rookie of the Year, for 38 games, and he was limited in that season to appearing in just 82 games. Earlier this month, in a game against the Seattle Mariners, Trout was hit in his left hand by a pitch. Fortunately, X-rays revealed no injury.
In February, at the start of Angels spring training in Tempe, Arizona, Trout, who signed a 12-year contract extension in March 2019 that runs through the 2030 season, explained to MLB.com his preference of returning full-time to center field.
“I feel like I’m at my best when I’m in center,” Trout said. “But if I have to go to the corner, I would go to the corner. Honestly, I feel like when I was in center, it was less on my body than the corners. In right, it felt like I was running a lot, but it’s just like a preference thing. I just feel confident in center.”
Of the 130 games Trout suited up for in 2025, in 22 of them Trout was positioned in right field.
Now in his 16th season, all with the Angels, Trout is running out of time to chase a World Series championship. The last five seasons have been rough on him both mentally and physically, with missed time due to injuries. Armed with a full no-trade clause in his contract, getting a ring is likely all that is missing from Trout’s individually fulfilling career. The team hasn’t appeared in an MLB postseason since 2014, after claiming the American League West title in that year, only to be eliminated by the Kansas City Royals in the Division Series.
Currently, Trout’s .896 OPS (On-Base Plus Slugging) is showing that he has his swing back. A good OPS is considered above .800. An OPS of .900 or above is considered elite, and usually associated with a hitter on pace for an MVP-level season. Trout, considered by many as the best player in the 2010s, has demonstrated in the past that as long as he remains healthy, he has the ability to carry his team for weeks at a time. Angels’ teammates with Shohei Ohtani for six seasons (2018–2023), Trout’s quest for a World Series appearance didn’t materialize then. Now, the championship load is Trout’s alone to carry.
Personal game challenges with the likes of Judge and other elite hitters just may be the elixir to keep Trout locked in on his game preparation and performance at the plate to finally realize a championship ring for himself, and baseball euphoria for the Angels’ fans.
