Phillies Notes: Phillies' Thome optimistic about getting playing time at first

Jim Thome was glad to be back in the clubhouse he used to call home. Speaking before the Phillies hosted the Pittsburgh Pirates in Monday's exhibition at Citizens Bank Park, he was his usual optimistic self.

The 41-year-old veteran signed with the Phillies in the offseason as a free agent, returning to the team he last played for in 2005.

"I am happy to be here, this is a great ball club, a great time in Philadelphia for baseball, and to be back here is an honor, to be sure," Thome said.

With Ryan Howard still recovering from a torn left Achilles tendon, Thome dusted off his first-base glove during spring training.

Thome hasn't played first base in a regular-season game since 2007, when he appeared just once for the Chicago White Sox.

The last time he saw semi-regular duty at first was in 2005, when he appeared in 52 games at the position for the Phillies.

Thome said he and manager Charlie Manuel haven't discussed how much he will play in the field.

"If it's two days a week, four days a week, whatever Charlie picks, it's up to me to be ready," Thome said.

When pressed about playing first four days a week, Thome laughed and admitted he was speaking with his heart.

Manuel took a more realistic view.

"He hasn't played [first base] in four to five years, and when we stick him there for six innings, he gets a little sore," Manuel said.

The manager has not set a number, but it will be low.

"I don't plan on using him [in the field] a whole lot," said Manuel, who added that 20 games would be a realistic total.

Lefthander Joe Savery, the Phillies' first-round draft choice in 2007, is still with the team, but that doesn't mean he will be on the roster for Thursday's opener at PNC Park against the Pirates.

Savery is 1-1 with a 3.48 ERA in seven spring appearances covering 101/3 innings.

"It's really not my decision," the pitcher said, "so I am just trying to keep the big picture in mind, and that is that I have a long season ahead of me no matter where I am and I need to perform well."

For now, he must deal with the uncertainty.

"I want to be here and I am anxious to be here, and, hopefully, I will be a part of this team," he said.

With sore knees keeping Chase Utley out of the lineup, rookie Freddy Galvis is penciled in to start at second base.

Manuel has liked what he has seen from the 22-year-old Galvis, who has moved from his accustomed shortstop to second. Galvis has impressed the team with his defense. The question is how the career .246 minor-league hitter will hit.

"I think Galvis is ready to play," Manuel said. "I like everything about him, and I think his hitting will improve."

Manuel lauded the fundamental way Galvis plays the game.

"He's always in the right place," the manager said. "He is not fancy, and just a good, sound baseball player."

Newcomer Ty Wigginton, who started at first base for the Phillies on Monday, likely will play a variety of positions this season.

Last year for Colorado, he played 68 games at third base, 36 games at first, 21 in left field, and six in right. From 2009 to 2010 with Baltimore, he also played second base and shortstop.

Wigginton said that there have been no discussions about how the Phillies will use him specifically, and that it doesn't matter anyway.

"I always believed it is our job as players to be ready to play every day and it's the manager's job to write out the lineup card," Wigginton said. "That is the way I will approach this season, just like every other season in my career."

Phillies Notes