I was at the ballpark in Sacramento last Thursday getting ready to play Albuquerque when they told me I was going back to San Francisco.

“Oh my gosh, yeah!” I couldn’t believe it.

I didn’t even go back to my house to pick up clothes. I grabbed my glove and bats and jumped in my car. I left everything else. I didn’t even have a toothbrush. I drove straight to AT&T Park.

I’d been expecting to go on the last road trip to Las Vegas this weekend with my wife then fly home to Miami for the off-season.

Now I have a whole month here with these guys and these fans. It’s so awesome.

I’m not saying I didn’t enjoy my time with the Rivercats. Sacramento is great. It’s a beautiful city, and the fans really support the players there. The clubhouse is nice compared to the ones on the road. Sometimes a “weight room’’ on the road was a couple dumbbells on a patch of dirt outside with fans walking by watching you. Travel in the minors isn’t exactly the same as the big leagues. You’re waking up at 3 a.m. to catch a 6 a.m. flight. You’re on small planes with small seats. The food in visiting clubhouses isn’t going to win any awards for health. A lot of pizza and hamburgers. It’s hard just to keep your body in shape 100 percent, playing-wise. Every time we were on the road I couldn’t wait to get back to Sacramento.

The best part was my teammates. I remember myself when I was in the minors and all the things I went through. All the growing up I did. This season, I watched these young guys and how hard they were fighting to get better. I also see guys getting frustrated. It’s hard. Guys were asking me questions. I loved that. I think my purpose was that — to help them out. I talked to Shaw a lot. Talked to Duggar, d’Arnaud, Garcia. Ryder Jones, who’s a hell of a player. All those guys. There are so many things I’ve been through in my career that can help them, and they really listen.

The thing I’d tell them all the time: Play hard. Every single day. And always have a routine. They need a good routine so they can better themselves every day to become a Major League player. Have a good work ethic. Just play hard.

It is so awesome to be back here with the guys I played with in San Francisco and the young guys I played with in Sacramento. And I love being back with the San Francisco fans!

We still have a month, and I’m telling you we’re going to have fun! I want to help those guys have fun because this game is all about having fun. We’ve had a lot of injuries, so it’s been a long season. But we have a lot of great players and everyone’s excited.

It’s going to be an interesting month. Thanks for reading!