Mike Trout, whose wife is slated to give birth to the couple’s first child this summer, was placed on the paternity leave list by the Los Angeles Angels on Thursday.
Trout’s wife Jessica was originally scheduled to deliver sometime in August. The limit for one season on the paternity leave list is three days. Trout and Jessica already had a chosen name, but they wanted to keep it a secret until delivery.
The three-time MVP originally was hesitant to play this season in the midst of a pandemic, primarily concerned with contracting the coronavirus and passing it on to his wife, a scenario that would at least force them both to quarantine and prevent them from seeing their newborn. Trout’s concerns seemed to ease a bit after baseball resumed in early July.
“I just can’t wait to meet him,” Trout said the day before the Angels’ first game of the season on July 24, which marked the start of his ninth full season in the big leagues. “We are excited. Jessica has been really strong and brave. I don’t know how women do it.”
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