Brandon Phillips makes his 2018 debut

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At 5 AM on Saturday morning, Brandon Phillips was doing what he has been up to since he was signed by the Boston Red Sox back in June. He was working himself back into baseball shape with the Gulf Coast Red Sox in Fort Myers Florida.

After the workout was completed, Phillips received a phone call to pack his belongings and catch the first fight to Boston. Later on that day, Phillips would make his 2018 debut in the Lowell Spinners lineup as they played host to the Hudson Valley Renegades in the New York Penn League. Phillips arrived in Boston at 3:30 in the afternoon, rented a car and with the help of GPS, found his way to Lelacheur Park, where he was put into the lineup hitting second and serving as the teams DH.

He would go two for five in his first game of the season. He did have a chance to either tie or win the ballgame for Lowell in the bottom of the ninth inning. However, this would not have a storybook ending as Phillips flew out to center field against Renegades closer B. J. Myers in a 3-1 loss for the Spinners.

The final score is not important, but what is meaningful is that Phillips is starting to get some live reps against pitchers in hopes that he might be ready if the Red Sox need him in a pinch.

The 16-year veteran, who spent most of his big league career with the Cincinnati Reds, talked after the game with reporters about his busy day and what he thinks he can bring to the Red Sox.

For now, Phillips is just going with the flow as he needs some at-bats against live pitching which took place on Saturday night. He does not know if he will get a chance to play in the field while in Lowell. He believes he can help the Red Sox at either at second or third. While waiting for the phone to ring, Phillips had been working out with both the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets and Georgia Bulldogs during the college baseball season since Phillips resides in Georgia.

When asked if he ever thought the phone might not ring, his answer was no. He said baseball can be crazy sometimes and you never know when someone might need you because of injury.

When asked why the Red Sox, he said he wants the one thing left to put on his resume, a ring before he retires. Phillips already has four Gold Gloves and a Silver Slugger to his credit. Not to mention being named to an all-star game.

He is willing to do whatever it takes to help Boston bring another championship to the city, as well as lend some advice to the younger players along the way. Whether Brandon Phillips gets that chance or not remains to be seen. One thing is for sure, he will be ready if and when his name is called.