For the Angels’ utility infielder, it was nothing too alarming, nothing worthy of time at Triple-A to rediscover his stroke — he’s out of options, anyway.

Over those five weeks, Harris played all of 12 games and went 0 for 27.

“When guys are playing well, the at-bats are few and far between,” Harris said. “You go through stretches like that.”

As a so-called “supersub,” Harris’ presence in a game often means someone is unhealthy or unproductive. So it’s not too surprising that the Angels are 8-16 with Harris in the starting lineup and 23-23 when he begins the game on the bench. That’s not entirely his fault, though Harris’ 0.3 offensive bWAR and -0.6 defensive bWAR through 37 games paint a picture of Harris’ value as a replacement.

During those five weeks Harris did not collect a hit, the Angels went 18-17. That’s one reason why he wasn’t so bothered by a slump that saw his average drop 77 points, from .288 to .211. Another is that he liked the way he was swinging the bat, even if the hits weren’t falling.

“In no way am I unclear about what my role is,” Harris said. “I don’t stress over things like that too bad. Sometimes your role is to back up and support the guys.”

Mike Trout (right) was chosen an American League All-Star in 2012 despite not making his debut until April 28.

In hindsight, it would seem unjust if Mike Trout wasn’t an All-Star in 2012. In case you forgot: Second in the MVP voting, American League Rookie of the Year, 30 home runs, 49 steals, 129 runs scored, .326/.399/.564 slash line, 10.9 bWAR, yada, yada, yada …

Yet when All-Star game voting opened a year ago, on April 20, 2012, Mike Trout was in Triple-A. His first game of the season was eight days away. Ten days into the balloting, on May 1, Trout was batting .091. By June 1, he had five home runs and the pacesetter, Oakland A’s outfielder Josh Reddick, had 14.

So you wonder if Bruce Bochy would have wanted Trout, if by some strange reason the San Francisco Giants manager was in charge of the American League squad. Bochy explained his theory in a radio interview earlier today when asked about Yasiel Puig, the Dodgers outfielder who is putting up Trout-like numbers (better than that, even) through his first 13 major-league games.

In short, Bochy said that players who have been in the major leagues all season should be given consideration over players who have not.

Trout disagreed.

“I just think if you put up good numbers and you deserve to be there, you should be there. If guys are coming into the league this year, putting up great numbers — like my buddy from the D-backs, (pitcher) Patrick Corbin, he’s 9-0, whatever he is, pitching great. He deserves to be there. There’s a couple guys you could think of who were having great years last year that didn’t get voted in.

“For me, it’s just put up good numbers, you get voted into the All-Star Game.”

For Trout, being so new to the big leagues allowed him to appreciate it more.

“It was a great experience for me just to be in the clubhouse with the guys, all the top talent in the big leagues, guys you watched growing up,” he said. “Being with them was pretty special.”

Trout speaks from the experience of having voted himself growing up. Online, even. Albert Pujols was among his annual picks, even though Trout was a Philadelphia Phillies fan.

“I voted for the best guys,” he said.

Hamilton reportedly didn’t know he was sitting out the 6-5 loss, while Scioscia said it was previously scheduled.

“Josh knew we were going to try to stay away from him,” he said. “Trust me, he needed a day.”

Physically or mentally?

“Both.”

Hamilton, who is batting .213 this season, was passed over as a possible pinch hitter in the ninth inning Sunday in favor of Brad Hawpe and J.B. Shuck.

Monday, Hamilton was penciled into the second spot in the lineup against the Seattle Mariners.

Asked if Hamilton could continue to play through his physical issues this week, Scioscia said uninspiringly, “I hope so.”

• If he scores today, Trout will have 200 runs in his first 249 games, which will make him the fastest to 200 runs by any player in MLB since 1940 (Ted Williams, 225 games and Barney McCosky, 236 games).

• Of the seven who have been faster since 1916, five are in the Hall of Fame (Joe DiMaggio, Lloyd Waner, Kiki Cuyler, Ted Williams, Chuck Klein).

• If Trout homers today or tomorrow, he’d be the first player ever with 48 home runs and 50 stolen bases in his first 250 games, and the fourth player since 1935 with 14 triples and 48 homers in his first 250 (DiMaggio, Williams, Mays). If he hits three more homers in his next nine games, Trout will be the fastest player ever to reach 50 home runs and 50 stolen bases.

Still, Madson said he experienced pain in his surgically repaired right elbow when he pushed himself to about 80 percent effort.

“I don’t know what it is,” he said, “whether it’s the PRP injection or the strain.”

Madson said that he received a platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injection in the elbow a little more than three weeks ago, and that “after another week, the shot shouldn’t have any more effect as far as soreness.”

So the pain Madson has been feeling since his rehab was shut down in late May could merely be an expected side effect of the PRP shot. It could also be an indication that he’s got a ways to go before his next minor-league rehab assignment. That’s a necessary next step if Madson has any shot at pitching in a major-league game this season.

“When I’m pain free, 100 percent doing long toss, that’s when I can think about a game,” he said.

So why was Monday a good day?

Madson said it continued a “general incline” in his rehab with no major setbacks. He’ll try to push past 80 percent effort Tuesday and Wednesday in his long-toss program, then continue his pattern of resting for two or three days.

“I’m trying to stay right under the pain,” he said. “Today it was 80 percent.”

It’s been more than 14 months since Madson had Tommy John surgery on his right elbow. He progressed well enough this season to pitch one inning for the Single-A Inland Empire 66ers on May 13. A recurrence of pain then forced Madson to temporarily suspend his throwing program before starting over by throwing from flat ground.

Though he is busy hitting over .300 in Detroit, Torii Hunter’s was the first name mentioned by Mark Trumbo, who said several players and coaches spoke during the closed-door meeting.

“The obvious would be that Torii isn’t here,” Trumbo said. “Nobody’s going to replace Torii. Obviously he was a true class act and a great leader. We have quite a few guys that stepped in and filled the void as best they can in their own way. We could go around the room but I think there’s some obvious choices in Albert (Pujols), Josh (Hamilton), Jered (Weaver), C.J. (Wilson) and Scott Downs, guys who have been around a while.”

The Angels declined to make Hunter a $13.3 million qualifying offer after he played out his five-year contract last season, something the outfielder wasn’t pleased with once Josh Hamilton signed a $125 million deal during the offseason. The Angels are not only missing the 37-year-old’s presence in the clubhouse, but at the plate, where he is hitting .316 with 23 RBIs for the first-place team in the AL Central.

Thanks to Harris not only leaping to snare a high throw, but skillfully landing on first base in the eighth inning of Monday’s 2-1 loss to the Houston Astros, Callaspo avoided his second consecutive two-error game. Since committing two throwing errors in a 5-4 loss to the Astros on Sunday, Callaspo committed one each Monday and Tuesday.

The latest was the first fielding error of the bunch and the most costly on the scoreboard. The ball slipped out of Callaspo’s glove as he made the transfer following a slow-rolling ground ball, costing the Angels a pair of unearned runs in the third inning of Tuesday’s series opener with the Chicago Cubs.

The release point on his throw has been the culprit for four errant throws since Sunday, only one of which cost the Angels a run. But all four throws – and three throwing errors – occurred during a pair of one-run losses to the Astros, the team with the worst record in the American League.

“This guy, I mean he’s usually automatic down there,” Angels manager Mike Scioscia said. “Occasionally guys are just going to be a little bit out of sync and he has been. This guy’s a terrific third baseman, so he’ll get back to where he needs to be.”

Houston scored the final two runs of Sunday’s 5-4 win when Callaspo’s throw to second base was wide, preventing a possible double play in the ninth inning.

His errant third-inning throw Monday was negated when catcher Chris Iannetta picked off Houston’s Matt Dominguez, who would score the eventual winning run in the sixth inning of a 2-1 victory that completed an embarrassing sweep.

Callaspo isn’t terribly concerned about the miscues, especially given his solid defensive track record.

“Things happen,” Callaspo said before Tuesday’s game. “Sometimes you have to make errors. You’ve got to forget and move on.”

Callaspo insisted none of the errors contributed to the next. He isn’t letting the miscues get in his head.

“I’m not that kind of guy,” he said. “I’m OK. I’m good. I play my game and that’s it.”

Callaspo also doesn’t believe there is any connection between his defensive miscues and the 5-for-32 slump he carried into Tuesday.

He can thank a little shoddy defense from an opponent for his ninth-inning double on Monday that caromed off the glove of Astros first baseman Chris Carter into the stands above the Astros’ dugout. It was his first extra-base hit since May 24, when his average was 30 points higher than the .254 mark with which he entered Tuesday’s game.

Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera was the leading vote-getter with 1,500,165 votes. New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano is second with 1,235,230 votes and Trout leads all outfielders with 1,190,676.

Cabrera won the Triple Crown and the American League MVP award last year in a hotly contested race that saw Trout place second.

There’s still plenty of time for Trout to win this popularity contest; balloting concludes on July 11.

For the complete balloting results, click here.

Some more Monday bullet points:

• What do Josh Hamilton, Matt Kemp and Ichiro Suzuki have in common?

• The rumor mill has linked Cliff Lee to 20 teams, including the Angels. The timing doesn’t seem right on the Angels’ end, with six healthy starters on the roster and a big decision looming.

• BaseballAmerica.com reports that the Angels released minor-league right-hander Johnny Holtman and catcher Mark Fleury this week.

• Believe it or not, there is a baseball juggernaut in Southern California.

• Thanks to colleague Wes Woods for recommending Bombino. I don’t know what they’re singing in this song, which consists entirely of two chords and reminds me of early Santana: