Brett Phillips Agrees To Minor-League Deal With Yankees
Former Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Brett Phillips agreed to a minor-league deal on Tuesday with the New York Yankees and will start working out at the team's minor-league complex in Tampa as he makes the transition as a pitcher. Phillips was once a top outfield prospect and made his big-league debut back in 2017 with the Milwaukee Brewers. The 30-year-old played in 39 games for the Los Angeles Angeles in 2023 before making the switch to pitching. In his seven years as an outfielder, Phillips hit just .187/.272/.347 with 31 homers, 99 RBI and 39 stolen bases in 393 games. He made his pitching debut on Monday in the National Baseball Congress World Series, and his fastball was sitting in the mid-90s. It's a cool story, but Phillips has an uphill battle to become fantasy relevant as a pitcher in the majors.
The Chicago White Sox have signed outfielder Brett Phillips to a minor-league deal. The deal will pay the veteran $1.2 million if he makes the big-league team. The 29-year-old had his best season at the plate in the 2021 season with the Rays but is coming off a pair of dismal campaigns with the Orioles and Angels. Most recently, he hit just .175 with three homers and three steals across just 71 plate appearances with the Halos in 2023 and also hit .230 with six HR and seven SB across 66 games at the Triple-A level. Phillips offers some defensive versatility as he's capable of playing all three outfield spots but his lifetime .187 average and 38.7% K% put a hard cap on his offensive upside.
Brett Phillips Makes First Start Of The Season Wednesday
Los Angeles Angels outfielder Brett Phillips will make his first start of the season Wednesday afternoon against Nationals left-hander MacKenzie Gore. Phillips has appeared in five games this season but has made just one trip to the plate as he's either entered games as a pinch runner or defensive replacement. The well-traveled Phillips spent last season with the Rays and Orioles, scuffling to a .144 average with five homers and seven steals across 83 appearances. He did hit 13 HR with 24 SB across 119 games with the 2021 Rays but he doesn't appear set for much playing time while outfield prospect Jo Adell is on the cusp of a big-league promotion.
The Los Angeles Angels signed free-agent outfielder Brett Phillips to a one-year, $1.2 million deal on Monday. The addition of Phillips is another supplementary move conducted by the Angels in order to bolster their outfield. The 28-year-old was on display for the Rays and Orioles in 2022 and spent time with the O's Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk. He slashed .144/.217/.249 in the big leagues and displayed an improved .277/.432/.641 across 65 at-bats with the Tides. His bat is certainly a liability, but an eye-popping 41 defensive runs saved since going pro in 2017 is the glaring attribute on his profile. Phillips is slated to contribute as a platooning outfielder for the Angels, but do not expect anything significant fantasy-wise.
According to a tweet from NJ.com's Brendan Kuty on Monday, the New York Yankees "are among the teams who have inquired on outfielder Brett Phillips, who the Tampa Bay Rays designated for assignment on Tuesday. The Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies are in the mix, too. Phillips previously appeared in 75 games for the Rays this season, batting .147 with a .225 on-base percentage, five home runs and seven stolen bases in 208 plate appearances. New York's current outfield options on the 40-man roster include Aaron Judge, Aaron Hicks, Joey Gallo, Andrew Benintendi, Miguel Andujar, Tim Locastro, Estevan Florial and Everson Pereira.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Brett Phillips is not in the starting lineup on Thursday against Toronto Blue Jays left-hander Yusei Kikuchi. Phillips will start on the bench for the second straight day with the Rays facing two lefties on back-to-back days. The 28-year-old lefty hitter is batting just .159/.226/.269 on the season with four home runs, 10 RBI, 16 runs scored and six stolen bases in 145 at-bats, and he's actually hitless with 12 strikeouts in 26 plate appearances against left-handed pitchers this season. Josh Lowe is getting the start in center field and is hitting ninth against Kikuchi. The former first-rounder has gone 17-for-95 (.179) with a homer, seven RBI and two stolen bases in his first 27 games for Tampa this year, and he'll be a low-upside DFS gamble in the nine-hole.
Brett Phillips Belts Three-Run Walk-Off Homer On Friday
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Brett Phillips went 1-for-5 with a walk-off three-run home run in Friday's 7-4 win over the Detroit Tigers. He took Bryan Garcia deep in the bottom of the 10th inning to lead the Rays to victory 7-4. Phillips plays semi-regularly but continues to produce in the final month of the season. The 27-year-old has now homered in three of his last five contests. Fantasy managers with daily moves can stream the Rays outfielder while he's wielding a hot bat. Overall, Phillips is slashing .214/.310/.436 with 13 home runs, 42 RBI, 47 runs, and 13 stolen bases over 270 plate appearances in 2021.
Brett Phillips Hits Two-Run Shot In Wednesday’s Loss
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Brett Phillips went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run in Wednesday's 6-3 loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. He cut the Rays deficit to three with a two-run shot off Joakim Soria in the eighth inning. The 27-year-old has homered twice over his last three starts since returning from the 10-injured list on September 12. He continues to produce in a part-time role, and fantasy managers with daily moves should stream the Rays outfielder when he's in the starting lineup. Phillips is slashing .214/.312/.428 with 12 home runs, 39 RBI, 46 runs scored, and 14 steals over 265 plate appearances in 2021.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Brett Phillips (ankle) went 1-for-3 with a two-run home run, two walks, and a stolen base during Sunday's 8-7 extra-inning loss to the Detroit Tigers. He was activated from the injured list Sunday, batted ninth, and played center field in Sunday's loss. The 27-year-old blasted a go-ahead two-run opposite-field shot to give the Rays a 3-2 lead. He flashed his speed by swiping his 14th bag of the season on Sunday. Phillips plays semi-regularly and has 11 homers, and 14 steals over 256 at-bats in 2021. Fantasy managers can use the Rays' outfielder as a streamer in daily formats when Phillips is in the starting lineup.
Tampa Bay Rays outfielder Brett Phillips(ankle) was activated from the injured list Sunday morning, and he is in the starting lineup batting ninth and playing center field against the Detroit Tigers. While Phillips is not likely rostered in many leagues, he could be worth a start today as he was slashing .267/.353/.700 in his last 15 games before missing time with injury. He has 10 homers and 13 steals in just 219 at-bats this season, which projects out to quite an impressive season if he were to receive playing time. Savvy fantasy managers in daily leagues can take advantage.
Brett Phillips
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Yankees
