Brandon

Phillips

Phillips last appeared in the majors with the Red Sox back in 2018 and will turn 41 years old later this month. The veteran second baseman played in 54 games last year for Lexington and is back for another stint this summer in the Atlantic League.

This is why you haven’t seen Phillips, next year’s possible second baseman in Cleveland, in a September callup. The Bisons lead the Braves two games to one, and are a game away from winning the IL title.

John McDonald took over for Phillips, who shouldn’t miss much time, and is day-to-day. The hand was badly bruised and tightly bandaged after the game.

The Indians have been planning to bring in a free-agent second baseman for at least a couple of months, but it now appears that they’re indicating that Phillips won’t even be given a chance to compete for a job in spring training. The good news is that Phillips will see time at shortstop in Triple-A, making him a candidate to replace Omar Vizquel in 2005.

Phillips could be sparking a turnaround. If he keeps it going, he’s sure to get some heavy ABs in Cleveland in the second half of the season.

Phillips came up limping when he made the turn at first after getting a single. He should be OK.

Ron Belliard is arbitration-eligible and Omar Vizquel may retire, though that’s not a certainty with the way he’s played. He may want to re-sign for less money and see what this team can do. But Peralta is hitting .324 at Triple-A Buffalo. Phillips is up to .319 at Buffalo and has been over .350 in the past two months while working on a 15-game hitting streak. Both players have .303 averages with runners in scoring position. The future is bright in Cleveland, especially up the middle with Victor Martinez, Peralta, Phillips, and Grady Sizemore.

''At some point in time, yes,’' manager Eric Wedge said. ''But we haven’t even talked about it.’' Phillips should be reserved until he shows improvement.

Whether a team gives him a shot remains to be seen, as Phillips didn’t sign a minor league contract with the Red Sox last season until late June and wasn’t called up until September. He’ll turn 38 in June.

Neither will Hector Velazquez, but both pitchers will remain with the club in case there’s an injury. Brandon Phillips was also left off the ALDS roster, but he’s been sent home.