Yesterday, the Yankees promoted infielder and cult hero Andy Phillips from AAA Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Phillips had been playing well down there, batting .301 with 11 homers and 36 RBIs. Over the last two years, Phillips has battled some trying personal issues, including his wife’s fight with cancer and his mother’s recovery from a critical car accident. He missed a large chunk of spring training this season in order to be by his family’s side, and was beaten out handily by Josh Phelps for the right-handed first baseman’s job.

Phelps, however, was unable to channel his strong spring into a strong season. Yesterday manager Joe Torre told reporters that he felt the first baseman had struggled both offensively and defensively. As a Rule V draftee from the Baltimore Orioles, the Yankees were required to keep Phelps on their active roster for the entire season in order to retain his rights. Thus, after being designated for assignment on Tuesday, he must now be offered back to Baltimore for half the $50,000 that the Yanks paid to claim him in the offseason.

The 28-year-old was batting .263 with two homers and 12 RBIs, and recently was beaten out by Miguel Cairo for playing time in the wake of Doug Mientkiewicz’s broken wrist. It appears Phillips will now see the majority of at-bats at first, while Cairo returns to his role as super utility infielder/outfielder.

Over at WasWatching, Steve Lombardi notes that he doesn’t quite get the fan fascination with Andy Phillips, who he describes as a “Four-A” hitter overmatched against major league pitchers.