Los Angeles Angels slugger Mike Trout gave an exit interview of sorts after being shut down for the season. In the interview, he laughed off questions about teammate Shohei Ohtani’s future.
While there has been a lot of doubt about the two players’ future with the club, Trout has indicated that he plans to continue with his only team in the MLB. Meanwhile, with Ohtani’s contract running out, the Japanese star is still evasive about his decision. Ohtani is expected to be given a contract worth up to $600 million in free agency.
Trout has spent his entire baseball career with the Angels, making his major league debut in 2011 and going on to establish himself as one of the best hitters of his generation. He has won almost every individual award possible but the one which has eluded him and his team is the World Series. As a result, there have been plenty of voices urging him to make a change next year.
However, Trout has indicated that he will be ready for preseason next year with the Angels after being shut down due to a left hamate bone fracture in July. During his talk with the media on Monday, Sept. 25, he was also asked about teammate Shohei Ohtani, who enters free agency at the end of the season. There have been a lot of rumors about the star’s future but Trout laughed it off, saying:
“I’ve heard a lot of reports that he’s in Japan.”
Mike Trout was asked about Ohtani being back with the team this week.
He joked about a lot of people falling for a very old video of Shohei Ohtani last week.
"I've heard a lot of reports that he's in Japan," he said with a laugh.
— Sam Blum (@SamBlum3) September 26, 2023
An emotional Mike Trout talks about his season and getting ready for the spring⚾️ @Angels | #GoHalos pic.twitter.com/ArVUpDuVp6
— Bally Sports West (@BallySportWest) September 26, 2023
Mike Trout opens up about disappointing season and focuses on next year
Mike Trout has been struggling since suffering a hamate bone fracture in the first week of July.
The season has long been over for the Angels, having lost Shohei Ohtani to injury a few weeks earlier. They were carried by the Japanese two-way star for the majority of the season but without him, they struggled to rack up any wins.
Addressing the team’s underwhelming season, Trout expressed his desire to focus on returning to fitness before the preseason for the Angels next year.
“I just want to get my head straight for the off-season, clear my mind, just have a healthy off-season,” he said.
