As happy as the Angels are to keep Mike Trout’s bat in the lineup while he recovers from a sprained right index finger, they’ll be even happier when the star center fielder returns to his position. Trout simply is not wired for the monotony of the designated hitter role.
“I’m gonna tell him today to go out and play catch with the left fielder [between innings] just so he feels like he’s playing some defense,” manager Mike Scioscia said before Sunday’s game. “Just roll it back left-handed if you can’t throw, whatever, because he goes crazy in the dugout.