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Phillies Notebook: Right field getting crowded for Phillies

Laynce Nix and John Mayberry Jr. might not make it easy for Delmon Young to assume his presumed position in rightfield.

The streaky John Mayberry Jr. entered Monday hitting .316 with a .409 OBP in 17 games. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer)
The streaky John Mayberry Jr. entered Monday hitting .316 with a .409 OBP in 17 games. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer)Read more

DELMON YOUNG began his official rehab assignment at Class A Clearwater on Sunday, going 1-for-4 with an RBI. Playing in rightfield for the first time in a professional game since 2007, Young also made a fielding error.

When the Phillies signed Young 3 months ago, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said, "Ideally, he'll be playing rightfield every day for us."

But while Young's surgically repaired right ankle has kept him out of the first month of the season, the competition might have stiffened for his previously projected regular playing time.

Before Monday's game at Citizens Bank Park, Charlie Manuel spoke about the importance of giving currently potent pinch-hitter Laynce Nix at-bats to keep him sharp. The manager also showed his current affinity for John Mayberry Jr. by plugging him into the second spot in his lineup for the second straight day.

"When you play good, you always have a chance [to stay in the lineup]," Manuel said of Mayberry's place when Young returns from the disabled list. "He's hitting .300, isn't he? With a .400 on-base percentage?"

The streaky Mayberry entered Monday hitting .316 with a .409 OBP in 17 games. Only Domonic Brown, with seven, has drawn more walks than Mayberry.

"He's got six walks," Manuel said. "You guys are talking about how we don't get any walks . . . He's been getting some hits. He stole a base [Sunday] night, too."

Manuel will likely ride Mayberry's good streak while it lasts. But following the latest timely pinch-hit from Nix - a game-tying double in the seventh inning on Sunday - Manuel also wants to continue the lefthanded side of his unofficial rightfield platoon into occasional starts.

"I've always felt Nix could hit if he stayed healthy and we got him some at-bats, especially against righthanded pitching," Manuel said. "Because when he makes contact, he hits the ball hard. He can help you. He's already helped us."

Although Nix is hitting .250 with 10 strikeouts in 32 at-bats overall, he has batted .500 (5-for-10) with two home runs, a double and five RBI as a pinch-hitter this season. He leads all major leaguers in pinch-hits, pinch homers and RBI in the pinch.

Nix has had pivotal pinch-hits in each of the last two Sundays: a week before his game-tying double against the Cardinals, Nix ripped a ninth-inning, go-ahead pinch homer that sent Roy Halladay to his 200th career win.

But in order for Nix to continue producing off the bench, Manuel said he couldn't let him sit there for too long.

"It's hard to come off the bench and hit, it's one of the hardest jobs in baseball," Manuel said. "That home run that helped us win a ballgame and his hit [Sunday] night helped us. That showed how well he can hit the ball hard if he's getting some playing time. It's very important."

Like Mayberry, Nix has also had at least one good streak at the plate while getting regular playing time with the Phillies. Nix hit .326 with a .392 OBP and eight extra-base hits in his first 22 games (14 starts) of the 2012 season.

Barring a setback, Delmon Young will return in less than 3 weeks, and perhaps a lot sooner. But as the Phils close out the final week of the season's first month, rightfield already appears to be crowded with players competing for regular playing time.

Regardless of how it shakes out, Manuel likes the idea of his bench strengthening when both Young and Carlos Ruiz return.

"It definitely adds more depth to our bench," Manuel said. "We're going to get more depth and we'll get more depth and balance in our lineup, too."

To dive or not to dive

A frozen and disappointed South Philly faithful chose to channel their frustrations at Domonic Brown on Sunday night.

Instead of chasing down and making an attempt on a fly to leftfield in the fourth inning, Brown, who got a bad jump on the ball, chose to play it conservatively and let it fall. Thus began a chorus of boos.

"I'm not worried about it," Brown said. "The fans, they definitely watch everything. And I guess they felt like I should have dove for that ball. I've been in that situation before."

One of those situations: In the home opener against the Kansas City Royals, Brown dived at a ball, missed it, and it rolled all the way to the wall in left for a bases-clearing triple. On Sunday, there was a runner on first and no outs.

Brown said you have to balance the potential risks and rewards of each potential play before it happens.

"If I dive and it gets away and a run scores, they're going to boo me anyway," Brown said. "If I think I can catch it, then I'm going to catch it; if I don't, I'll stay back. It's whatever the situation may be."

Phillers

Carlos Ruiz will begin a rehab assignment at Class A Clearwater on Tuesday. Ruiz, who is suspended for the first 25 games of the season for testing positive twice for Adderall, can play five rehab games. He is eligible to return to the Phillies' lineup Sunday in New York . . . Cole Hamels will try to collect his first win when he makes his fifth start of the season on Tuesday. It's the latest Hamels (0-2) has gone into a season without a win since 2009 (May 8, fifth start) . . . Jonathan Papelbon is a perfect 55-for-55 in save opportunities in his career in the month of April.