The narrative for Los Angeles Angels fans this season has often been some version of “at least Mike Trout is back” through the early portion of the 2026 season. At the end of April, Trout had a .999 OPS, and while he wasn’t necessarily a heavy MVP favorite again, there was a fair bit of celebration that it seemed like he had moved past the injury issues that have plagued him in recent years.
On the surface, it only looks like Trout has slowed down a little bit. He is definitely the Angels’ best hitter at the moment, and with an .866 OPS with 11 homers, most players would love to be in his position.
However, a closer look at what has happened in the month of May reveals that what looks like a modest drop-off in production has actually been a fall off a cliff. If Trout doesn’t turn things around soon, those pre-season doubts about his long-term viability are going to start popping up even more than they already are.
Mike Trout’s slump in May is one that he and the Angels cannot afford
Now, we are only talking about a sample of 16 games in one of the early months of the season. No one should be running for the hills or trying to immediately plan for life without Trout in the lineup. Just as his hot start to the season didn’t actually mean that prime Trout had returned, this cold stretch should not be seen as a prelude to his eulogy as a player.
However, his numbers through those 16 games this month so far are not particularly good. At all. In 67 May plate appearances, Trout has only managed a .207/.313/.293 with just one homer and 23 strikeouts. While the Angels’ anemic offense has meant that opposing teams aren’t really pitching to Trout, the 23 punch-outs are still concerning at the macro level.
For those getting ready to yell that the sky is falling, you may want to hold off. Trout is still posting elite hard hit % and a very strong average exit velocity. In short, Trout is still hitting the ball plenty hard enough to suggest that he has plenty left in the tank. Baseball is a results-driven business, though, and the results lately from Trout have not been inspiring the most confidence.
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