Brandon Phillips, Red Sox Reportedly Agree to Minor League Contract

The Boston Red Sox added some depth to their infield Wednesday when they signed second baseman Brandon Phillips to a new deal.

Per The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal, Phillips received a minor league contract.

Phillips played for the Atlanta Braves and Los Angeles Angels in 2017 after the Cincinnati Reds traded him. Cincinnati dealt him to Atlanta, and the Braves proceeded to send him to Los Angeles in August.

In all, he slashed .285/.319/.416 with 13 home runs and 60 RBI in 144 total games in 2017.

Phillips thrived in his prime on the Reds from 2006 through 2016. The three-time All-Star won the 2011 National League Silver Slugger award with a .300/.353/.457 slash line to go along with 18 home runs, 82 RBI and 14 stolen bases.

He hit at least 17 home runs in eight straight seasons, including 30 in 2007, and has five seasons with more than 20 stolen bases.

Phillips' impact extends beyond the offensive side when he is playing at his best. The four-time Gold Glover is responsible for 48 total defensive runs saved in his career at second base, per FanGraphs, although it should be noted that number was minus-seven in each of the last two years.

There are some concerns about his regression in the field, especially since he is turning 37 years old Thursday, but he proved last year he can still be a productive piece of an everyday lineup.

With regular second baseman Dustin Pedroia limited to just three games this season because of a knee injury, the Red Sox have mostly gone with Eduardo Nunez and Brock Holt at second.

Boston owns the second-best record in MLB entering Wednesday (53-27), trailing only the New York Yankees. Phillips likely won't see much game time in the majors, even if Pedroia remains out.