Red-hot Howard back with Phillies

PHILADELPHIA -- Jim Thome's back is fine these days. His right elbow is the problem now, and it's landed him on the 15-day disabled list for the second time this season.

Thome said that he's been feeling pain for about a month, or since shortly after he came off the DL in May. A cortisone shot a few weeks ago provided temporary relief, but he took a turn for the worse 10 days ago and reached the point of no return on Friday.

"I had a hard time picking my arm up today," said Thome. "It hurt that bad. I've had good and bad days. I want to get this thing healed so we can get going in the second half. The last 10 days or so, it was worse. The diagnosis early was tendinitis, and we thought it would get better over time, and it hasn't. It's affected my throwing, but gradually started to get into my hitting."

He had a particularly hard time after making a throw to the plate in Thursday's game.

Thome's injury opens another opportunity for power-hitting prospect Ryan Howard, who was crushing the ball at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. In 61 games with the Red Barons, he was batting an International League-leading .371, with 19 doubles, 16 homers and 54 RBIs. He also leads the IL with a .467 on-base percentage and a .690 slugging percentage.

Howard had been called up on May 1, when Thome first went on the DL, and he batted .214 with a home run.

"He has a lot of talent," said Phillies manager Charlie Manuel. "He has a chance to be a tremendous big league hitter. He has the power and everything. We'll let him play and see what he can do. That's what it is all about."

Thome's hitting woes have been well documented, as his .207 average, seven homers and 30 RBIs haven't really helped the team. But he tried to play through the pain, first in his back and now in his elbow.

Manuel said that he knew Thome was hurting but kept him in the lineup.

"He wanted to play," said Manuel. "Tendinitis is something that comes and goes. He was taking medication and trying to play. That's a hard call for me. First of all, I want him in the lineup playing. But I get upset, because I want my best lineup on the field every night. That's nothing personal with any player."

Thome's whole season had been a frustrating struggle, save for a handful of productive games. And he begins July with further uncertainty. Though he's on the 15-day disabled list, he could be out longer.

General manager Ed Wade didn't have a problem with Thome trying to play for as long as he could, even though he could have let them know of the pain sooner. The important thing now is for him to get healthy.

"I appreciate the effort," said Wade. "I appreciate his mind-set. He knows how important he is to our ballclub, and this is probably a situation where he woke up every day hoping the inflammation would have resolved itself. I don't think in this circumstance you can fault a guy for trying to gut things out."