CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Daniel Brito stood in the shade at Carpenter Complex on Tuesday morning and talked about his miraculous recovery from a brain hemorrhage in July and his inspirational and improbable return to baseball this month.

He started with only a few people listening. By the time he finished, a small group had gathered.

¡°The moment I woke up from my coma, I knew I wanted to be back,¡± Brito said through an interpreter. ¡°If God gave me a second chance to be alive, there¡¯s a purpose for me. I feel extremely happy to be here. I feel so happy to be around what I love, which is baseball.¡±

Brito, 24, collapsed on the field during a Triple-A Lehigh Valley game in late July in Rochester, N.Y. He suffered a brain hemorrhage from an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which is a tangle of blood vessels in the brain.

The Athletic detailed Brito¡¯s recovery in a story last month. Brito required two brain surgeries and spent nearly two months in the ICU in a Rochester hospital. He was in a coma. He required a tracheal tube to breathe and a feeding tube in his stomach. He was paralyzed on his left side. He lost 50 pounds. But he woke up and began physical therapy in October. Back then, everybody just wanted him to make enough progress to live a normal life. That meant simple things like navigating stairs and using his left hand to eat and drink. But Brito rocketed past those goals. He started swinging a bat again in December. He started fielding ground balls and getting himself in shape.

And he got plenty of support along the way. The Phillies flew Brito¡¯s mother, Neydrix Sifontes, from Venezuela to New York. Brito¡¯s fianc¨¦e, Anyelis Petit, left her job in Ohio to be with him, too. The Phillies helped. They provided everything from hotel rooms to meal money. They signed Brito to another Minor League contract to continue his health insurance.

¡°For me, it¡¯s a miracle,¡± Brito said. ¡°Thanks to God. Thanks to the Phillies.¡±

On Sunday, Brito flew from Ohio, where he lives with his fianc¨¦e, to Florida. He arrived at Carpenter Complex on Monday to take his physical. It felt good to be back. As he walked up to the complex, he recalled the home run he hit on Ashburn Field during his Rookie-level season with the GCL Phillies in 2016.

Brito passed his physical. He will try to play baseball again. The fact it is even a possibility is remarkable, even to him.

¡°I watch videos of myself in the hospital on repeat,¡± Brito said. ¡°And then I see myself hitting in Lehigh Valley. Where I am today is amazing. It¡¯s incredible. Even for myself, I can¡¯t believe I¡¯ve come this far.¡±

Brito believes he can do it. He pulled out his phone and showed a recent video of himself hitting against a pitching machine in Ohio. He then flipped to another video of himself jumping around and working with children at the practice facility. He smiled.

Brito watched batting practice at BayCare Ballpark on Tuesday morning before Phillies and Tigers prospects played an 11-inning scrimmage. Asked what he thought as he watched his teammates, he said he thought about getting in the cage and taking a few swings with them.

¡°In time, in time,¡± somebody said.

¡°That¡¯s what the doctors are saying,¡± Brito said.

Brito won a 2018 MiLB Gold Glove as the best defensive second baseman in the Minors. He was having the best year of his career in 2021, before everything changed. He had an .837 OPS in 307 plate appearances at Double-A Reading before he got promoted to Lehigh Valley in July. He had eight hits, including two home runs, in his first 28 at-bats with the IronPigs.

¡°The biggest advice now is [to] pump the brakes, take it easy, one day at a time,¡± Brito said.

But also he said he will not stop dreaming about playing in the big leagues. Why would he?

¡°It¡¯s always going to be my dream,¡± he said. ¡°No matter what happens, that¡¯s always going to be my dream.¡±

¡°The word 'miracle' has been thrown around multiple times,¡± Phillies general manager Sam Fuld said. ¡°It feels like some version of that. It feels like the story is not complete yet. It¡¯s amazing to have him here. Whatever happens in the future remains to be seen, but to embrace the fact that he¡¯s come so far so quickly is important.¡±

Brito will begin his work to continue his dream. Along the way, his mere presence will inspire others.

¡°It feels good to know that I can inspire people,¡± he said. ¡°It motivates me to continue to inspire more people.¡±