Early-season phenomenon temporarily makes his way back to the Angels

Remember the good ol' days of March and April when the Angels had a folk hero who was setting the baseball world on fire? When they had a player very few non-Angels fans had heard of, and many Angels fans forgot about/gave up on, turn himself into one of the most valuable players in the sport?

Well, you would not blame Angels fans for forgetting about Kyren Paris here in late-June, as the 23-year-old has not appeared in The Show in roughly a month. The utility man came crashing back to earth in a major way right before getting optioned down to Triple-A Salt Lake. He will be back in Anaheim for the next few days, though, and looking to reclaim some of that early-season magic.

Angels News: Early-season phenomenon temporarily makes way back to the big leagues

Kevin Newman will temporarily be away from the team, as the Angels placed him on the paternity list (congratulations to the Newmans!). Newman's vacancy opens the door for Paris to make his way back to the team as they welcome the Boston Red Sox to town. Paris is not in the team's starting lineup tonight in their series opener. Actually, even though he's spent the last month with the Bees, Paris has played in more Angels games than Newman has this season (43 to 35).

For the first ~20 games of the season, Paris was the Angels' most valuable player. Through April 21st, Paris led the team in batting average, OBP, SLG, OPS and runs scored. Before that, he was the most head-turning member of the team's spring training squad. Not a single soul expected Paris to make the Opening Day roster, but he slugged his way onto the team. When he made the team, fans did not appreciate that Ron Washington turned him into a part-time player.

In late-April, Paris hit a wall in a major way. From April 21st until his demotion following their game on May 25th, Paris slashed .122/.177/.203 with a 40:5 K:BB in 24 games. Paris was playing predominantly centerfield but was sprinkled in at second base here-and-there. However, the team signed Chris Taylor to take his spot on the major league roster, take his playing time and it allowed the organization to let the youngster season more in the minors.

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