Phillies Notes: Phils could activate Romero soon

MILWAUKEE - J.C. Romero has been missed in the Phillies' bullpen, especially since fellow lefthander Scott Eyre began pitching with an injured elbow.

But for Romero (forearm strain) and two other key Phillies relievers, tomorrow could bring some long-awaited good news. After throwing an inning yesterday in the instructional league in Clearwater, Fla., Romero returned to Philadelphia.

"If he feels OK [today], then it's possible we will activate him on Monday," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "A lot of the guys, Monday will be a big day for them."

Brett Myers (strained upper-back muscle) threw off a downhill slope yesterday, an important test. That went well, and Myers' bullpen session was moved from Tuesday to tomorrow. The Phillies hope he will return for next weekend's season-ending home series against Florida.

"It doesn't hurt at all," Myers said. "It never really did, though. Just got all black and blue."

Chan Ho Park (strained hamstring), threw a 30-pitch bullpen session yesterday in Clearwater. "He felt good, but a little bit tight at the end," Amaro said. "But he's progressing well, and he's probably going to throw another bullpen Monday."

When manager Charlie Manuel mentioned the possibility of moving J.A. Happ to the bullpen, it was as a replacement for Romero. But Amaro said yesterday that Romero's return would not necessarily keep Happ in the rotation.

"There is no rule against us having three [lefthanders] out there," Amaro said, adding that it appeared unlikely Happ would be reassigned before his next scheduled start Tuesday.

"I would assume that he will [start Tuesday], unless we get to the point where we clinch, and Charlie has a different plan for him," Amaro said.

Asked whether he would feel comfortable using a closer-by-committee in the postseason, Amaro said: "I would like to have somebody who is one guy who is going to close the game off, but just like anything else, if things aren't working, you're going to try to make adjustments to make it work. Is it impossible to win without a set closer? No, I don't think that's the case at all. It just makes it a more stable situation when you know who is going to be pitching the ninth every time."

Scratched from last night's start against Milwaukee because of a sore neck, Pedro Martinez did not know when he would next pitch. Scheduled to start Thursday against Houston, Martinez could return sooner.

"Pedro will pitch when he is healthy," pitching coach Rich Dubee said. "Right now, there is still something going on there. It still hasn't settled."

Could he pitch before Thursday if ready?

"Yes," Dubee said.

"I'm going to take some medication, then who knows?" Martinez said. "Any day, any day, any day."