Los Angeles Angels superstar Mike Trout has missed nearly a month since suffering a bone bruise in his surgically-repaired left knee in Seattle on April 30. In his absence, the Angels have gone through several hot and cold streaks.
They went 5-8 in their first 13 games without him in the lineup, before catching fire offensively and winning eight games in a row. But since reaching .500, they have lost five straight games and are back to 25-30, fourth in the American League West and well out of reach of the postseason picture.
A healthy Trout returning to the lineup is a major boost for a team looking to get some momentum back. And that’s exactly what is expected to happen on Friday night as the Angels open up a three-game set against the Cleveland Guardians on the road.
Trout, through the first month of the season, looked far away from the superstar the Angels have come to know and love. He was batting .179 with a .727 OPS and only 19 hits in 29 games. The only silver lining in his early performance was nine home runs and 11 total extra-base hits.
But, this is still Trout, and he is always going to find ways to turn cold slumps around and be effective when healthy. And with Zach Neto, Logan O’Hoppe and Taylor Ward playing the way they’re playing, that certainly serves as motivation for Trout, who had become accustom to being on an island in the heart of the Angels lineup.
While pressure can never be too high on a team at the end of May, the Angels have already shown they can play both elite baseball and league-worst baseball. With Trout coming back, they need to string together some wins to keep themselves afloat in the conversation.
Angels lineup and defense with Mike Trout
The Angels lineup is still lacking in some depth, and their defense has been among the worst in the league this season. Hopefully, Trout can boost one or both of those things in his return. Below is not their official lineup for Friday night, just what their best potential lineup could look like with Trout.
1 – Zach Neto (SS)
2 – Logan O’Hoppe (C)
3 – Mike Trout (RF)
4 – Yoan Moncada (3B)
5 – Taylor Ward (LF)
6 – Jorge Soler (DH)
7 – Nolan Schanuel (1B)
8 – Jo Adell (CF)
9 – Luis Rengifo (2B)
The bench leftover from this starting lineup includes Chris Taylor, Travis d’Arnaud, Scott Kingery and Kevin Newman.
