When Mike Yastrzemski first came to Fenway Park as a big leaguer in 2019, everything was still new. Then a 28-year-old rookie, the grandson of Red Sox legend Carl Yastrzemski had only recently been promoted after grinding in the minors for seven years, and by chance his San Francisco Giants were set to make a rare visit to Boston late in his first season.

Five years later, he’s in a completely different place.

Yastrzemski returns to Fenway Park for the first time since that surreal late-September series a whole new man. Now a five-year big league veteran, the 33-year-old Andover native has fully established himself as both a professional and a father of two, and in the process he’s made his own name as a ballplayer.

“To be able to come back again and have a bit more clarity of where I’m at in life and to be a bit more comfortable, it’s very nice,” Yastrzemski said prior to Tuesday’s game.

Though Yastrzemski received a resounding cheer when he was announced during Tuesday’s pregame introductions, this week’s return is likely to be a much lower key affair than his first visit as a big leaguer. That week Yastrzemski hit a home run in his first game at his childhood ballpark, and the following day he and his grandfather took the field together to throw out one of the more memorable ceremonial first pitches Fenway Park has seen in recent memory.

“That took a lot out of me,” Yastrzemski said. “That was emotional, there was a lot going on and it was surreal. To be able to make it through that in one piece was a pretty good success.”

Though he couldn’t fully appreciate all of it in the moment, Yastrzemski said he got to watch some videos and soak in the memories after the fact. The week was the highlight of an impressive rookie season that saw him bat .272 with 22 home runs, and since then he’s become a proven regular who has amassed nearly $19 million in career earnings.

“It’s a lot different, there’s a little bit more things I can take some time to appreciate and hang out in the clubhouse more, not be as grindy in the cage or out on the field for extra work as I had to be back then,” Yastrzemski said. “Not for performance sake, just to keep the body healthy and be able to take advantage of the time I have here.”

Yet even after all this time away, Yastrzemski says Boston will always be home.

“It’s the best, man. It feels like everyone is family,” Yastrzemski said. “You know how tight knit this community is, and when I play here I feel like I know more people in the stands than I don’t. Whether it’s growing up playing against someone, whether it’s from high school, elementary school, family friends, all this incredible support. It feels like I’m playing a home game.”