PAWTUCKET — From the first to the last moments of his 10-day stint in the major leagues, Aaron Bates had a ball.

One instant Pawtucket manager Ron Johnson was telling him he was needed in Boston. Bates asked ‘for what?' and then packed his bags. Within hours, he was in the Red Sox lineup playing first base against the Oakland A's.

A few innings into his major league debut, Bates fought the urge to look up into the Fenway Park stands and laugh at his good fortune.

"The first few days I didn't want to pay too much attention as far as looking into the stands because you just don't want to get distracted from playing well and sometimes that could have an effect," he said. "I just imagined that I was playing with my buddies out in Little League. That allowed me to stay relaxed."

He fought the same urge just a few days ago when the Sox boarded a bus at Fenway and made their way to Logan Airport for a flight to Toronto. Leading the ride were two police escorts. "Right through the city at two o'clock in the afternoon. Pretty cool," Bates said.

Bates' taste of the major leagues ended Friday. He was back at McCoy Stadium Saturday, starting at first base and excited about using his experience to propel him to a strong second half with the PawSox.

"The guys were great," Bates said, "but you just have to keep working hard and keep getting better. The game doesn't change. You just have to go about your business the right way."

Bates, 25, earned the promotion to Boston more for his defensive versatility and attitude than anything else. He began this season with Portland and is hitting just .182 in 25 games in Triple A. But with Jeff Bailey injured and Mark Kotsay nursing a sore calf, Bates was called up to handle some of the duties at first base and in the outfield. He played in five games and hit .364 (4-of-11) with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBI. His best game came on July 12th against the Royals when he cracked three hits, including two doubles, in a 6-0 Red Sox win.

"It was a lot of fun. I was glad I could contribute and help them win some games going into the all-star break," he said. "It's a tight race with the Yankees and I wanted to contribute any way I could, whether it was pinch run or anything like that."

Everyone is hoping that Bates can get rolling offensively with the PawSox. After jumping off to a strong start in Portland with a .340 average, seven home runs and 39 RBI, Bates was promoted to Pawtucket but struggled. He entered Saturday's game against the Indianapolis Indians on a 0-for-28 skid. That he had hits in four of his last five at-bats with Boston has to help his confidence. Bates snapped that skid with a fourth-inning single in Saturday's game.

"It gives any young player a nice sense of confidence," said Johnson. "I saw it in him when he came into the dugout [Friday]. There's a very unique feeling when you become a major leaguer."

kmcnamar@projo.com