Thursday, July 31

It was clear even in his first at-bat back from the injured list that Mike Trout’s timing is just fine.

Trout smacked a line drive to third base in the second inning on Friday that left the bat at 107.3 mph, the seventh-hardest ball he had hit all year. It resulted in an unlucky out, something Trout became familiar with early in the season before sustaining a bone bruise in his left knee while running to first base on April 30.

But it evened out on Saturday, when Trout recorded his first three-hit game since April 8, 2024, against Tampa Bay.

“It felt good to see something drop [in for a hit],” Trout said, smiling. “At the beginning of the year, I was hitting the ball hard and right at people. Things weren’t dropping either.”

The 33-year-old Trout entered Monday slashing .207/.282/.474 with nine homers, two doubles, one triple and 20 RBIs in 32 games this season. He simply hasn’t had much luck, as he has a .211 batting average on balls in play, which is much lower than his career BABIP of .340.

Part of that decline in average is also because Trout’s 29.2 percent strikeout rate is higher than his career average of 22.5 percent. But his numbers figure to get better as long as he continues to put the ball in play and he’s still an elite runner, as his sprint speed ranks in the 83rd percentile.

Trout had three hits drop in on Saturday, including an RBI double in the fifth. And much like on Friday, he crushed a line drive to third base for an out in his final at-bat with the ball leaving his bat at 102.3 mph, according to Statcast.

“On the double, I got good contact,” Trout said. “On the line drive to third, I had the same contact as the double. Just hit it right at him.”

The Angels have had a streaky offense this season and would love for Trout to help get them going again after falling into a rut heading into their three-game set in Cleveland. The Halos scored four runs in the series opener to snap their five-game skid that saw them average just one run a game. They also scored five more runs on Saturday, but the bullpen struggled in a 7-5 loss.

Trout has returned only as a designated hitter and batted fifth on Friday and sixth on Saturday. He’s expected to move up in the lineup and play right field soon, but the Angels want to be cautious with him in the early going.

Trout never played in a Minor League rehab game, but he did see Minor League pitching in a live session before Wednesday’s game against the Yankees. Trout is expected to return to right field at some point during the Boston series. With Trout back, it likely means fewer at-bats for Jo Adell, who will now split time in center field with Chris Taylor. Jorge Soler will also remain a backup right fielder, while youngsters such as Kyren Paris and Matthew Lugo can continue to develop at Triple-A Salt Lake.

“We’ll see about that when we get to Boston,” manager Ron Washington said about Trout returning to right field. “Just want him to get comfortable.”

Trout, a three-time American League MVP and 11-time All-Star, still means a lot to his teammates who have been excited to have him back. He’s looking to improve his production going forward and get his numbers closer to his career standards, but Friday and Saturday both were positive steps for Trout.

“Mike is the heart of this organization, not just the team or the clubhouse,” catcher Logan O’Hoppe said. “I’m happy to have our heart back. And obviously, I think he can help us.”

On Monday, Major League Baseball will celebrate the fifth annual Lou Gehrig Day and raise awareness for ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis), otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. All teams that play on Monday, including the Angels and Red Sox, will wear special “4” decals designed in Yankees uniform color and font. Red “4-ALS” wristbands will also be available to be worn in-game. More information on Lou Gehrig Day can be found here.

Garret Anderson, Tim Salmon and Trout rank 1-2-3 in hits in Angels history. Who ranks fourth?

A. Darin Erstad

B. Jim Fregosi

C. Erick Aybar

D. Brian Downing

Right-handed reliever Robert Stephenson, who returned from Tommy John surgery on Wednesday with a perfect inning with two strikeouts against the Yankees, left his outing against Cleveland after just three pitches on Friday. But he wasn’t placed on the injured list on Saturday and the discomfort was in his biceps and not in his surgically repaired elbow.

Stephenson was signed to a three-year deal worth $33 million before last season and his return was expected to be a boost for the bullpen. Stephenson, who played catch on Sunday, wasn’t scheduled to undergo any further testing on his biceps and the hope is that he’ll be able to avoid the IL.

After their three-game set in Boston, the Angels return home to host the division-contending Mariners from Friday to Sunday at Angel Stadium before the Athletics come in for a three-game series June 9-11.

It’s Beach Weekend against the Mariners with the Angels giving away a City Connect Hawaiian shirt on Friday, fireworks night on Saturday and a Logan O'Hoppe youth jersey on Sunday. For ticket information, click here.

D. Downing with 1,588.

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