Trout surge; Reds rookie heating up

Mike Trout opened another loud night in the Bronx by starting a back-to-back-to-back homer burst for the Angels, his third home run of the series against the Yankees. (mlb.com) On Tuesday, April 14, Trout led off the first-inning power run against Ryan Weathers with a 110.1 mile-per-hour drive projected at 432 feet. Jo Adell and Jorge Soler followed with solo shots, the Angels’ first back-to-back-to-back sequence since June 24, 2023. (mlb.com) That homer was Trout’s fifth of 2026 and the 409th of his career, tying Mark Teixeira for 57th on the all-time list. MLB.com also said Trout has now been part of six back-to-back-to-back home run sequences, matching Adrian Beltre and J.D. Martinez for the most in the expansion era. (mlb.com) Trout’s surge comes after a small setup change. MLB.com reported that beginning Friday in Cincinnati, he added more of a back tap with his back foot before starting his swing, a move he also used during a strong finish late last season. (mlb.com) The Yankees still won the opener of that series 11-10 on Monday, April 13, after Aaron Judge and Trout each homered twice. The Associated Press, via ESPN, said it was the first game in 70 years in which two three-time Most Valuable Players each hit two home runs. (espn.com) In Cincinnati, Sal Stewart kept building his own April case by hitting his fifth home run on Tuesday night against San Francisco. His fourth-inning shot off Robbie Ray left the bat at 101.4 miles per hour and traveled 390 feet to right-center field. (mlb.com) Stewart, a 22-year-old third baseman, entered the majors on September 1, 2025 after the Reds drafted him 32nd overall in 2022. MLB lists him at 6-foot-1 and 224 pounds. (mlb.com) His early 2026 line has been difficult to miss. Baseball Savant showed Stewart at.304 with a.429 on-base percentage and.589 slugging percentage through 70 plate appearances, while ESPN’s game log showed him at five homers by April 14. (baseballsavant.mlb.com) (espn.com) The quality of contact and swing decisions stand out even in a small sample. Baseball Savant ranked Stewart in the 95th percentile in barrel rate, 95th percentile in walk rate and 85th percentile in strikeout rate, with a.444 expected weighted on-base average that sat in the 98th percentile. (baseballsavant.mlb.com) Trout’s week has looked like a veteran star finding a timing cue, and Stewart’s month has looked like a young hitter carrying over a fast rise from 2025. By mid-April, both had turned raw power into numbers that were showing up every night on the scoreboard. (mlb.com) (baseballsavant.mlb.com)