ANAHEIM — The arrival of Kevin Newman’s third child opened the door for Kyren Paris to get back to the big leagues.
He’s still got some work to do in order to earn a longer stay with the Angels.
Paris, who figures to be in the major leagues for two or three days while Newman is on the paternity list, was hitting .188 with a .703 OPS in 23 games at Triple-A since he was demoted last month.
Paris said he’s been working on “being on time, more consistent, getting pitches early in the count and making sure I put the ball in play more often.”
Paris, 23, was one of the most surprising stories of the first couple weeks of the season, winning a spot on the Opening Day roster and then hitting .419 with five homers and an OPS of 1.514 in his first 12 games.
After that, though, he hit .116 with 52 strikeouts in 102 plate appearances in the next 31 games, before he was sent back to Triple-A.
Acting manager Ray Montgomery said Paris was making some progress in his work in the cage before he was sent down, and he’s continued to do so, even though it hasn’t shown up yet in the numbers.
Montgomery said Paris has been working to shorten up his swing, and generally adjust to the way major league pitchers were working him.
One tangible improvement he’s made at Triple-A is his 16% walk rate, which is just about double the rate he had in the majors.
“Just making sure that I stick to my approach and swing at balls in the zone,” Paris said. “That’s something that I’m proud of that I’ve improved.”
He’s cut his strikeout rate from 42% in the majors to 27% at Triple-A.
Paris has started 17 games in center field and six games at second base in Triple-A.
NO’HOPPE
Catcher Logan O’Hoppe was out of the lineup even though he been warming up at the plate, with three home runs in the previous two games.
O’Hoppe had been catching Jack Kochanowicz regularly, but Travis d’Arnaud got the nod to work with Kochanowicz on Monday.
Montgomery said they’re trying to make sure both catchers work with all the pitchers. He said O’Hoppe could soon get an opportunity to work with left-hander Yusei Kikuchi, who to this point has almost exclusively worked with d’Arnaud.
Montgomery acknowledged that O’Hoppe’s playing time has been reduced because of his struggles defensively.
“I wish I could say no to that, but a big part of what you do at that position is that you have to serve the 13 people that are throwing the baseball to you,” Montgomery said. “And while Logan’s offensive stuff speaks for itself, the defensive stuff has to get better. He knows that. He’s working on it. He’s aware of it, and it wears on him. … We’ve got to get him improved, and we’re doing everything we can to get there.”
NOTES
Third baseman Yoán Moncada (right knee inflammation) did some light running on the field for the first time since he was placed on the injured list. He also did some light defensive drills. There is no timetable for Moncada’s return. He’s been out for just over three weeks. …
Outfielder Jorge Soler (back) “felt better today than yesterday,” Montgomery. “I think we have to play it safe and day-by-day in terms of letting that calm down.” …
Montgomery said Manager Ron Washington “seemed in good spirits” on Sunday, but he had not arrived at the ballpark yet when Montgomery spoke to the media on Monday afternoon. Washington, who is on a medical leave, has been awaiting test results to determine when he’s cleared to return to the dugout for games.
UP NEXT
Red Sox (LHP Garret Crochet, 7-4, 2.20 ERA) at Angels (LHP Tyler Anderson, 2-5, 4.56 ERA), Tuesday, 6:38 p.m., FDSN West, 830 AM