Jim Thome activated from disabled list

Charlie Manuel will have Jim Thome at his disposal beginning Wednesday as the slugger was activated from the disabled list.

Thome has not played since April 28 when he aggravated his chronically injured back. He played in three minor-league rehab games with single-A Clearwater and hit 5 for 10. But he did not play the field and is not expected to play first base for the remainder of the season because it puts too much strain on his back.

That makes his future murky.

Thome was just 2 for 18 in April and Manuel said he was not effective because he lacked regular work. But without the option of playing first base, Thome is reduced to a strictly pinch-hitting role.

He will have the luxury of serving as the Phillies' designated hitter during their upcoming nine-game American League road trip.

The man with 604 home runs to his name is a career .219 pinch-hitter with only four home runs in 128 at-bats. He signed a one-year, $1.25 million deal in the winter.

To make room for Thome, Pete Orr was optioned to triple-A Lehigh Valley. Orr had spent the entire season on the Phillies roster until now. The Phillies chose to keep infielders Mike Fontenot and Hector Luna over Orr.

Contact Matt Gelb at mgelb@phillynews.com or follow on Twitter @magelb.