Mike Trout homers at first at-bat since returning to team after birth of child (video)

Mike Trout homers at first at-bat since returning to team after birth of child.

After five days of paternity leave, Mike Trout has rejoined the Los Angeles Angels.

And he made quick work of his first at-bat by homering against the Seattle Mariners.

In Bob Nightengale’s feature for USA TODAY Sports, Trout outlines how difficult it was for him to leave his family at home and go back to playing baseball in the midst of a global pandemic. “It was really, really hard, leaving him and leaving Jess,’’ said Trout. “Knowing what she’s going to be going through these next couple of months is tough.’’

Trout and his wife Jessica welcomed Beckham Aaron Trout to the world on July 30. Beckham is Mike and Jessica’s first child together, as he is named partially after Jessica’s late brother, Aaron Cox. Mike and Jessica though the name Beckham sounded cool. Gordon Beckham agrees and the little guy has the initials B.A.T. as in baseball bat. He was born to hit .300, just like his dad.

Mike Trout returns to a Los Angeles Angels team in need of some spark

Trout rejoins the Angels up in the Pacific Northwest, as they begin a series with the division rival Seattle Mariners. In the first sixth of the 60-game, coronavirus-shortened season, the Angels are 3-7 and in last place in the American League West. Only the lowly Kansas City Royals have a worse record in the Junior Circuit at 3-8 on the sprint of a MLB campaign.

While Trout has been away, Shohei Ohtani gave the Angels another terrible outing on the mound. He’s not going to be pitching again for a while, as he’ll go back to being the Angels’ designated hitter, hoping to not lose any more ground in the AL West standings. Trout is a three-time AL MVP, but even he may not have what it takes to help the Angels get back into the postseason.

Even though eight teams get in this year out of the American League, how sure are we the Angels will be one of them? Los Angeles has made the postseason once in Trout’s sure-fire Baseball Hall of Fame career. He’s put up ridiculous numbers playing in relative anonymity for Los Angeles’ second most popular big league franchise. Maybe he’ll be the spark this reeling team needs?

Perhaps baseball’s newest father will be a galvanizing force to get the Angels turned around?