SEATTLE — It’s always fun to watch the new phenom walk around the clubhouse just to see the nervous smile and how the veterans interact with him and try to make him feel like he’s a teammate. It was fun to watch him gaze out at Safeco Field, one of the most beautiful parks in baseball, probably pinching himself and wondering, is he really here?

Andrew Benintendi’s dream came true on Tuesday. He became a major leaguer, pinch hitting in the seventh inning and grounding to second, then striking out to end the game. He will make his first start Wednesday, patrolling left field in the middle of a pennant race. He survived the trade deadline when some believed he might go in a big deal for lefthander Chris Sale, but Dave Dombrowski showed restraint. He did not give him up, and after pursuing veteran bats, including Carlos Beltran, he decided to give Benintendi a shot after his red-hot play in Double A Portland.

What’s unusual is that the University of Arkansas product who grew up in Cincinnati idolizing Ken Griffey Jr. skipped Triple A and will for the time being platoon with Bryce Brentz, who he pinch hit for and replaced in left Tuesday night.

In a dream scenario, he would be Jacoby Ellsbury, circa 2007. Ellsbury came up twice that year, but his impact from Sept. 1 on was undeniable. He hit .353 with a .902 OPS, was 9 for 9 in stolen bases, played great in the outfield (15 games in left, 12 in center, 1 in right), and added a real spark at the top of the order for the team that eventually won the World Series.

Ellsbury hit .438 in the World Series with a 1.188 OPS in 18 plate appearances.

If Benintendi can be to the 2016 team what Ellsbury was in 2007, then Dombrowski would have made the best decision of his Red Sox tenure.

Dombrowski’s bold move is counter to the usual thinking in Boston. Former Red Sox general manager Theo Epstein always believed that even the best prospects should have close to 500 plate appearances at Triple A before coming up. Benintendi has zero. But Dombrowski says he’s done this before. Benintendi proved to him he was ready for the challenge and Dombrowski doesn’t necessarily believe in those markers for young players. Everyone has a different way of gauging the readiness of a player.

The Red Sox aren’t asking Benintendi to be Ellsbury, they’re just hoping he is.

“Extremely excited,’’ said the lefthanded-hitting Benintendi, speaking from the visiting dugout. “It’s something I’ve dreamed of since I was a kid and to be here is an incredible feeling.’’

Ellsbury was taken 23d overall in the first round of the 2005 amateur draft out of Oregon State. Benintendi, 22, was taken seventh overall.

Benintendi got the call from Portland manager Carlos Febles at 10 p.m. Monday and was told he was flying to Seattle at 7 a.m. When he arrived he was issued No. 40. He had worn No. 18 in the minors.

He spent a lot of the afternoon in conference with Red Sox third base coach Brian Butterfield, likely going over signals. He later met with outfield coach Ruben Amaro Jr. The Red Sox usually keep defensive and base-running procedures pretty uniform from the minors to the majors, so that part won’t likely be an issue.

What will be an issue is facing major league pitching. Benintendi has seen velocity in the minors because that’s the strength of most pitchers at the Double A level. It’s the offspeed stuff that he’ll have to adapt to. It was one of the biggest things Xander Bogaerts had to get used to. He had never seen so many sliders and cut fastballs in his life. Benintendi will have to make those adjustments on the fly. The good thing at first is that the pitchers won’t know him either.

Benintendi is known for his fast hands, similar to Mookie Betts. He’s not very big, generously listed at 5 feet 10 inches, but he manages to generate bat speed with his hands. He had eight homers at Double A, but he was more of a gap hitter and someone who can get on base and be a good base stealer.

Benintendi doesn’t have that great Ellsbury speed, but he’s considered someone who can steal bases. He stole eight bases with the Sea Dogs but was caught seven times.

Though he’s received a lot of publicity, he never expected to skip a level and come to the majors. He’s trying not to get caught up in the hype.

“I’m just going to go out there and contribute the best I can. Stick with my game and try to get as comfortable as I can here, hopefully help the team win,’’ Benintendi said.

Benintendi has played four games in left field, which is another adjustment since he’s always been a center fielder. He said he didn’t think the adjustment would be that severe because he had not only played in four games in left for Portland but had worked out there ahead of his playing there. It’s always tough for center fielders to give up the position, but Benintendi is not considered quite on the Jackie Bradley Jr. level.

“There’s always something to work on,’’ Benintendi said. “Jumps on balls, recognizing pitches, playing hard, and doing what I can to help the team win.’’

And there’s also getting used to playing in front of huge crowds. Giving him a night to take it all in, get rid of some of the jitters before he steps on the field, seemed to be the right way to go. He was questioned about possibly struggling in his first major league go-around, but he answered it quite maturely.

“Baseball is a hard game and when you make it harder than it is that’s when you start struggling, trying to do a little too much. Once I settled down and got comfortable everything started to flow. There are ups and downs but the most important thing is to stay constant, not too high or too low. It’s a long season. If you can go back and forth you’ll do OK,’’ he said.

We’re all anxious to watch Wednesday when he makes his first start.

“A talented guy,’’ said manager John Farrell. “There’s a lot of excitement around him. But there’s no question there’s going to still be a learning curve with him here. He’s going to be down the bottom third of the order. We don’t need to make any more of a focal point of his presence here with the placement in the order. We’ll just let him go out and play. Play to his abilities.’’

Nick Cafardo can be reached at cafardo@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @nickcafardo.