It’s now been more than two weeks since the 2026 campaign began for the Los Angeles Angels, and while that’s still a small sample size in the grand scheme of a 162-game season, there have been enough games to form some opinions on both the team and its players.

In baseball, the numbers are everything. Those numbers are exaggerated at the start of the season, where they typically get off to extreme starts, either hot or cold. There have certainly been some cold starts so far for Angels players. Here are the three biggest underperformers to start the season:

The 34-year-old southpaw is now in his second year with the club after being named an All-Star in his first season in Anaheim last year. He’s looked far from that player to start this season, however, as he’s recorded zero wins and two losses through his first three starts.

He allowed just two runs to score in his first start, but got hit eight times in 4 ⅓ innings. Kikuchi then went on to allow five and four runs in his next two starts, where he never made it past 5 ⅓ innings. Kikuchi has always had an issue with allowing too many baserunners, and that has been the storyline through his first three starts of 2026. The Halos are going to need an improvement from his 6.75 ERA and 1.77 WHIP.

After the opening series in Houston, nobody would expect Trout to appear on the list of the Angels’ underperformers through two-plus weeks. Unfortunately, Trout’s production has fallen off a steep, steep cliff since that series.

Since Houston, Trout has managed just two hits in 33 at-bats. The former MVP’s batting average has fallen to .174, and his OPS is under .700 as of Saturday morning. With his return to center field, Angels fans were hopeful for a return of the MVP-level Trout. That opening series only heightened expectations, and so far Trout hasn't come close to meeting them.

After his worst season yet in 2025, Angels fans were hoping for a huge bounce-back campaign from their catcher this year. That hasn't been the case at all for O’Hoppe, who has only worsened his struggles at the plate so far.

The 26-year-old has just eight hits to his name through 36 at-bats, and is still looking for his first extra-base hit of the season. His .563 OPS is one thing, but his placement near the bottom of all defensive metrics doubles the disappointment. The Angels need O’Hoppe to step up on at least one side of his game.

These three may be off to cold starts, but it is important to remember we are only just now approaching the middle of April. There's plenty of time to turn things around, and for a surprisingly exciting Angels team, fans are hoping they turn around soon.