Trail native Jason Bay was back in the New York Mets lineup on Thursday after taking a paternity break from the team.
Bay and wife Kristen welcomed their third child – son Garrett –into the family earlier this week.
The league brought in a paternity leave rule this season, which allows players 24-to-72 hours of leave and permitting the team to call-up another player on an interim basis.
“It’s classy, I guess -- you afford the team that luxury and make it so that the player doesn’t have to worry about leaving somebody shorthanded,” Bay told ESPNNewYork.com. “I think that that was a nice luxury to have that.”
Bay said his wife and son have been discharged from the hospital and he quickly rejoined the team for Thursday’s game against the San Francisco Giants.
“My mother-in-law got in town so she spent the night at the hospital (Wednesday) night, so I got a decent night’s sleep,” said Bay. “And then (Thursday morning I) had to run to the hospital. Wife and baby got discharged, drove home, dropped them off, probably got there at about 10 o’clock, and then just drove straight here.”
Bay went 1-for-3 with a run scored in New York’s 5-2 win.
over the Giants.
He is currently batting .250 on the season with one home run and three RBIs.