Delmon Young activated off the DL
For the first time all season, Charlie Manuel will write out his ideal lineup with all of his regulars back and healthy.
On Sunday, Carlos Ruiz returned and the Phillies offense kept chugging along en route to completing a sweep over the Mets in Flushing.
After Monday's off day, the Phils return to action at Cleveland's Progressive Field with another new bat in the lineup. Veteran outfielder Delmon Young was activated off the disabled list on Tuesday afternoon. He'll almost certainly be in the lineup for the first of a two-game series against the Indians.
Young missed the majority of the season's first month while recovering from offseason surgery on his right ankle.
Expectations are somewhat low for the 27-year-old Young, the No.1 pick in the 2003 draft who has underperformed on the field and had his share of off the field issues, too. He signed an incentive-laden, one-year, $750,000 as a free agent in January, just a few short months after winning ALCS MVP honors with the Detroit Tigers.
Young is a career .284 hitter in parts of seven big league seasons.
But he was used primarily as a designated hitter in 2012 and hasn't played right field, his projected position, since 2007. And he has a .299 on-base percentage in his last two seasons.
So, once again, expectations should be fairly low, although the Phils believed he was a low-risk, high-reward signing when they acquired him this winter.
Young, Charlie Manuel and several other Phillies were already on the field prior to 2 p.m. taking early batting practice. No lineup has been issued.
Here is one man's best guess of how Charlie stacks it up with all of his regulars available for the first time in 2013:
1. Jimmy Rollins, SS
2. Chase Utley, 2B
3. Michael Young, 3B
4. Ryan Howard, 1B
5. Carlos Ruiz, C
6. Domonic Brown, LF
7. Delmon Young, DH
8. Laynce Nix, RF
9. Ben Revere, CF