Cincinnati Reds' Brandon Phillips cleared for upcoming games – MLB News
The Cincinnati Reds on Friday, June 28, cleared the second baseman Brandon Phillips’ name for the line-up a few days after he had a collision with Aramis Ramirez of the Milwaukee Brewers. That his name has been included in the active roster again augurs well for the Reds.
It obviously took a few days to determine if Phillips was ready – at all, to make his appearance. To ascertain this, the team decided to go for SCAT 2 concussion tests. The tests which involved checking the player’s balance, speech and memory were all clear, giving a green signal for his return.
It was trainer Paul Lessard who spoke to the media after the tests and to make the announcement in this regard. "He did very well. He told me he was doing better today," head athletic trainer Paul Lessard said. "I'm sure he had a mild concussion. That's the way I'm treating him."
He even went to the extent of saying that the player did not really need to be consigned to the disabled list since the injury was not serious. Nonetheless, now that it has been done, Phillips will safely return to the side.
The seemingly ugly collision took place on Wednesday, when the Reds were to play against the Brewers. It was in the third inning that he got a shot to the head from Aramis Ramirez who was sliding while stealing second base.
While in Thursday’s game he might not have been 100 percent fit, he seems all set to add to the power and the strength of the team.
"He got 100 today and got a 90 yesterday," Reds' manager Dusty Baker said of Phillips' tests. "He was trying hard to lobby to get back in the lineup. As long as he passed the test and the trainer said it was OK, that's all it took."
He might have been forced to leave the Wednesday’s game, but his regaining his form and fitness, and being declared fit to play will now help the Reds have a more powerful offence to go against the rival teams in the Division.
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