CLEVELAND — A day after Mike Trout hit in the lowest spot he’d been in a starting lineup since his rookie year, he moved even lower.
Trout was hitting sixth for the Angels on Saturday in Cleveland. Trout batted at the bottom of the lineup when he first reached the majors in 2011, but after he returned to the majors for good in 2012, he never hit lower than third.
Manager Ron Washington said Friday, the day that Trout returned from a month on the injured list, that he was accounting for the fact that Trout did not have any kind of rehab assignment. He saw 30 pitches from a minor-leaguer Wednesday, and then returned to the lineup.
Batting fifth Friday, Trout hit two balls hard – both were outs – and had a bloop single, to go with two strikeouts, in a 1-for-5 return.
Trout was behind the same hitters Saturday, with the addition of third baseman Yoán Moncada, who returned to the No. 3 spot after missing Friday’s game with a sore knee.
“He looked good,” Washington said of Trout on Saturday. “He hadn’t seen pitches. I thought he hit a few balls hard. They threw some good breaking balls at him. I thought for a guy that hadn’t seen any live pitching, he handled himself extremely well. We’re talking about Mike Trout.”
Trout’s return to the DH spot also created a lineup problem for Washington at the catcher spot.
Washington has been using Travis d’Arnaud to catch veteran starters Kyle Hendricks and Yusei Kikuchi. Over the past few weeks, Logan O’Hoppe often was in the lineup at DH on those days. Now, Trout is going to be holding down the DH spot until they are comfortable putting him in right field. O’Hoppe was on the bench Saturday.
“We knew that the DH once Mike came back was going to be coveted,” Washington said. “If we gotta change something, we’ll change it, but d’Arnaud has been doing a good job with those guys and he’s going to keep (catching) those guys until further notice.”
Trout has not yet done defensive drills. Washington said he might start working out in the outfield in Boston, after this weekend.
“Hopefully by the time we get to Boston, we’ve gotten to that point where he can get out there and move around and do something,” Washington said. “But right now, all we want him to do is hit. We’re not going to force that or push that until he’s feel he’s ready to do it.”
STEPHENSON UPDATE
Right-hander Robert Stephenson remained on the active roster Saturday, a day after coming out of the game with bicep discomfort.
The Angels did not have him try to throw. They also did not have him undergo any further testing.
Stephenson said after Friday’s game that he hoped there was nothing serious wrong with his arm, and he was encouraged by the fact that the discomfort was in the middle of the bicep, not the elbow.
Stephenson returned this week from a 13-month rehab following Tommy John surgery. He pitched a perfect inning on 12 pitches Wednesday. On Friday, he came out after three pitches.
NOTES
Outfielder Jo Adell hit .308 with a .900 OPS in eight games leading into Saturday. He also struck out just four times in 30 plate appearances. “The hard work he’s putting in, hopefully it’s beginning to pay off,” Washington said. “Jo has been grinding since Day One. All the work he’s been putting in, it’s time for it to pay off. He’s not just trying to hit the ball out the ballpark. He’s getting base hits all kinds of ways.” …
Right-hander José Fermin (right elbow impingement) was set to begin a rehab assignment in the Arizona Complex League on Saturday. …
Catcher Chuckie Robinson, who was designated for assignment earlier this week, was claimed by the Dodgers.
UP NEXT
Angels (RHP Jack Kochanowicz, 3-6, 5.07) at Guardians (RHP Gavin Williams, 2-3, 4.31), 10:40 a.m. PT Sunday, FanDuel Sports Network West, 830 AM