Angels owner Arte Moreno reveals what he wants to see from Mike Trout

For the fourth consecutive season, Los Angeles Angels center fielder Mike Trout landed on the disabled list for the 2024 MLB season. Trout tore his meniscus in late April and would miss the rest of the 2024 season. Trout was close to returning, but experienced knee pain while making a minor league rehab appearance in late July. He suffered another meniscus tear, which forced him to sit out the rest of the season.

Trout missed time the previous three seasons with a calf tear, a rare back disorder and a fractured left hamate bone. Those injuries have caused Trout to miss at least 40 games in each of the past four seasons, including more than 100 games in 2021 and 2024. Since 2019, Trout has only played more than 100 games in a season in 2022, when he play in 119. games.

A top priority for the Angels this offseason is coming up with a plan to keep the bullpen healthy going forward, according to Angels owner Arte Moreno. The Angels have also talked about changing Trout’s role for next season, potentially to the corner outfield or becoming a designated hitter.

“We don’t need Mike Trout to be an MVP,” Moreno said, via MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger . “We just need Mike Trout to get on the field,” Moreno said. “Because whether he’s a DH or playing corner, whatever he does, when Mike Trout comes to bat, he really protects the other guys and can change the game with one swing.”

Angels general manager Perry Minasian recently discussed the possibility of Trout changing his role as well. “Something has to change,” Minasian said, via Jeff Fletcher of the OC Register . “Doing the same thing over and over hasn’t worked. So what exactly that plan is is yet to be determined. We’ll keep talking about it.”

For his part, Trout said last month that he is open to changing positions to stay on the field longer.

When healthy in 2024, Trout remained one of the most productive players in the MLB. Earlier in the season, he led the league in home runs. Overall, Trout hit .220 with 10 home runs and 14 RBIs before tearing his meniscus and ending his season.