TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Mike Trout says he would prefer to return to center field for the Los Angeles Angels, and the star slugger says he will skip the World Baseball Classic because of insurance issues.
The 11-time All-Star who been plagued by injuries since 2021 says his familiar position isn't as physically demanding as the corner outfield spots, contrary to traditional thinking.
Trout played his most games since 2019 last season, finishing at 130. The three-time American League MVP started 22 of his first 29 games in right field before a knee injury sidelined him for a month. The 34-year-old was exclusively a designated hitter when he returned in late May.
Trout had 26 home runs but hit just .232, by far the worst average of his career when he had at least 400 at-bats.
He spent time in left field early in his career but was a center fielder for 11 consecutive seasons before the switch to right. Injuries limited Trout to 111 games the previous two years.
Trout said conversations with first-year manager Kurt Suzuki have included the idea of a return to center.
“I feel like I’m at my best when I’m in center,” Trout told reporters at the club's spring training facility Monday. “If I have to go to the corner, I’ll go to the corner.”
Trout believes a return to center will be good for his health.
“When I was in center, it was less on my body than the corners,” Trout said. “To be honest, in right field I felt I was running a lot. Talking to some other outfielders and they’re saying that they feel the same way sometimes, center is less on your legs. I just feel ... confident in center.”
Trout, who played in his only WBC three years ago, had said he was interested in playing again before insurance issues arose.
“It’s disappointing,” Trout said. “I wanted to run it back with all the guys.”
Promising young Boston outfielder Roman Anthony has been named as a Team USA injury replacement for Arizona's Corbin Carroll, who has a broken bone in his right hand.
AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB
FILE - Los Angeles Angels' Mike Trout stands on the field before a baseball game against the Houston Astros, Sept. 27, 2025, in Anaheim, Calif. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
LIVIGNO, Italy (AP) — Freeskier Eileen Gu was set to go for her second straight Olympic gold medal in big air and second medal of the Milan Cortina Games on Monday night.
Switzerland’s Mathilde Gremaud, the 2022 big air bronze medalist and Gu’s top rival, was forced to miss the final. She injured her hip when she crashed in practice earlier Monday and was taken off on a stretcher. Gremaud beat Gu for slopestyle gold last week.
The final was delayed for over an hour due to a snowstorm.
The 22-year-old Gu hasn't competed in a big air contest since winning the gold medal in Beijing four years ago. But there are enough similarities between big air and slopestyle, which features similar jumps, that Gu found her rhythm quickly.
She finished second in qualifying two nights ago. Afterward, she said she was upset because organizers didn't make any accommodations for her to get a third practice session on the halfpipe, her final event.
The first of the three practices for the halfpipe, in which Gu also is the defending champion, took place at the same time as the big air final.
Gu, who was born in the United States but competes for her mother's homeland of China, said she looked for time when she could make up for the lost session, but officials from the International Ski and Snowboard Federation (FIS) would not accommodate her.
“I think being able to do something that’s beyond the ordinary should be celebrated instead of punished,” she said.
Gu was looking to repeat her feat from the Beijing Games, where she became the first action-sports athlete to win three medals at one Olympics.
AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
Heavy snow falls before the women's freestyle skiing big air finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Andy Bao)
Medics tend to Switzerland's Mathilde Gremaud after she crashed during practice before the women's freestyle skiing big air finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
China's Eileen Gu practices before the women's freestyle skiing big air finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
China's Eileen Gu practices before the women's freestyle skiing big air finals at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
China's Eileen Gu waits for her scores as she competes in the women's freestyle skiing big air qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
China's Eileen Gu waits for her score as she competes in the women's freestyle skiing big air qualifications at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Saturday, Feb. 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
