Mike Trout earns extra special 12th-career All-Star selection

ANAHEIM, Calif. – Mike Trout is no stranger to All-Star selections, but his 12th trip to the Midsummer Classic carries an extra special weight. 

This season’s All-Star Game is going to be at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia for the first time during Trout’s career and for Trout, a Millville, New Jersey native that grew up rooting for Philadelphia sports, a chance to come home as an All-Star is something he’s been looking forward to ever since the location was announced, especially since not only will he be close to his friends and family from his hometown, but he’ll be able to bring his own two sons with him this time around. 

“It was definitely on the list when it came out, so it’s pretty cool,” Trout said. 

Mike Trout has been selected as an All-Star for the 12th time, the 11th time via the fan vote.

It will be an extra special All-Star game for Trout as it’ll be held at Citizen’s Bank Park in Philadelphia, bringing Trout close to his family and friends from Millville

— Jack Haslett (@JackHaslett_13) July 4, 2026

A Long Road Back to the All-Star Game

This will also be special for Trout considering the rocky path his career has taken the last few seasons. While the three-time MVP has been dominant when he’s been on the field, staying healthy has been an issue for him with several major injuries keeping him off the field for a combined 414 games between 2021-2025. 

Those struggles with injuries paired with a.797 OPS and 124 OPS+ in 2025, both career-lows in a full season, has meant that Trout missed the All-Star game in back-to-back seasons for the first time in his career from 2024-25. 

Paige Creason – The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout (27) runs during the MLB game against the Toronto Blue Jays Monday April 20th, 2026 at Angel’s Stadium in Anaheim, Calif.

But so far this season, even with Trout on the Injured List with a hamstring strain since June 17, the Angels superstar has had a return to form with 17 home runs, an .866 OPS and 2.0 WAR, earning him the trip to Philadelphia that he’d been hoping for after All-Star selections were announced by MLB on Saturday. 

“The last couple, obviously more serious injuries, so it took more time,” Trout said. “But [I] just kind of set my sights on goals and stuff and the hard work’s paid off.”

Darwin Walker – The Sporting Tribune

Los Angeles Angels outfielder Mike Trout runs the bases during an MLB game against the Las Vegas Athletics on June 10, 2025 in Anaheim, CA.

No Derby for Trout

While there’s no shortage of festivities going on for All-Star weekend, the most famous event aside from the big game itself and one that Trout has notably never participated in, the Home Run Derby, will go Trout-less again this season, though he did admit that this year was the closest he came to signing up for the event before his hamstring injury made him rethink things and ultimately led him to forgo the event to focus on his health for the second half of the season.

Trout has been a fixture of excellence in baseball since his rookie season in 2012, something that 12 All-Star selections clearly shows, and for Angels manager Kurt Suzuki, who was Trout’s teammate for two seasons from 2021-22, seeing Trout work and thrive up close again, this time as skipper of the team, has given him an entirely new perspective into his talent.

“i played with Mike for two years, appreciated the way he went about his business,” Suzuki said. “Now being a manager and seeing how he goes about it and what he means to the team, it couldn’t have happened to a better guy.”