This story was excerpted from Adam Berry’s Rays Beat newsletter. To read the full newsletter, click here. And subscribe to get it regularly in your inbox.

ST. PETERSBURG -- The best part of Yandy Díaz’s first trip to the All-Star Game came right after the trip home.

Sure, Díaz started at first base for the American League last week and crushed a homer to cap an outstanding first half defined by his increased home run power. But when he finished his quick round trip from Tampa to Seattle and back, he rushed straight to the hospital to be with his wife, Mayisleidis. They welcomed their first child, a healthy boy named Yandy Jared Díaz who was born around 8 a.m. last Wednesday.

“There really isn’t much to say,” Díaz told reporters through interpreter Manny Navarro in Arlington on Monday, when he was reinstated from the paternity list. “The most important part of my life right now is my son.”

It was a whirlwind week for Díaz, from the late Monday night flight to Seattle to the game itself to the quick exit Tuesday night to the emotional moment he’d been waiting for on Wednesday morning. How best to describe it all?

“Simple,” he said through Navarro. “I haven’t gotten any sleep.”

His All-Star teammates were certainly more well-rested when they returned to action over the weekend, and they raved about their experience in Seattle.

Randy Arozarena put on a show in the Home Run Derby and in the game itself, as expected. Speaking through Navarro, Arozarena called the Derby “one of the greatest experiences I think I’ve had in my career.”

A friend gifted Arozarena some custom cowboy boots about a half-hour before the Derby. The boots sported his name and signature arms-crossed pose, and he thought it turned out to be good luck to wear them during the Derby player introductions. He thought he could have won in the final round if he’d had the extra 30 seconds of bonus time that Vladimir Guerrero Jr. got for hitting enough long homers, but he was still satisfied with his effort.

So was Arozarena’s Home Run Derby pitcher, Rays field coordinator Tomas Francisco, whose initial nerves subsided once they got into a groove.

“Just a great experience, being in that environment with all the star players,” Francisco said. “It was great.”

Wander Franco was pleased with his ninth-inning at-bat in the All-Star Game, even if he got jammed a bit and fell short of a huge home run. But he said his favorite part was the pregame practice with all his fellow superstars.

Another pretty cool moment for the 22-year-old shortstop? Having Ken Griffey Jr. sit down and chat with him during the Derby. Franco grinned when asked if Griffey said he was a fan of his.

“He didn’t say that, but I definitely am a fan of him,” Franco said through Navarro. “It was really good to talk to a legend.”

Starter Shane McClanahan, meanwhile, enjoyed a much more relaxing All-Star Game experience his second time around, because he was injured at the time and unable to pitch. Last year was the exact opposite as the AL’s starting pitcher -- an honor that came with several obligations, not to mention a pretty big spotlight once the game started.

“It was great,” he said. “It was definitely a little less nerve-wracking than last year, but I had a great time.”