Ex-Red Sox Rival Reportedly Joins Yankees After Major Position Change

The Yankees apparently are intrigued by what Brett Phillips potentially could do on the mound.

Yes, we’re talking about the same Brett Phillips who made a name for himself in Major League Baseball as a charismatic platoon outfielder. But after watching his career on the grass take a nosedive, Phillips transitioned to pitching and impressed enough to land a minor-league deal with New York, per multiple reports.

Phillips, who was released by the White Sox in early May after signing with Chicago in early January, showed off good stuff in the NBC World Series where he employed a nasty breaking ball to complement a fastball that topped out at 97 mph. It remains to be seen if Phillips will ever reach the big leagues as a pitcher, but he now finds himself with an organization that should be able to assist in his development.

Now that Phillips is all-in on pitching, the book seemingly is closed on his outfield tenure. The 30-year-old played in 393 MLB games at his original position split between stints with the Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays, Baltimore Orioles and Los Angeles Angels.

The Yankees also made a more needle-moving pitching transaction Tuesday when they reportedly acquired Mark Leiter Jr. from the Chicago Cubs.