Phillies’ Rhys Hoskins: ‘No reason why I won’t be ready for opening day’

After the dive, Rhys Hoskins didn’t see the need to dodge a question about where he intends to be come April 1.

“If you’re asking me,” the Phillies first baseman said Thursday, “there’s no reason why I won’t be ready for opening day.”

Hoskins played his first game since undergoing surgery on his left elbow 153 days earlier and went 1-for-3 with an RBI single in the Phillies’ 15-0 exhibition rout of the New York Yankees at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Fla. Serving as the designated hitter, he just missed a home run in the third inning and stroked a single the other way to right field in a nine-run fourth.

But the biggest test for Hoskins came when he dived back into first base and landed on his left arm on a pickoff attempt by Yankees reliever Albert Abreu. Manager Joe Girardi, who was being interviewed on the television broadcast, breathed an audible sigh of relief when Hoskins got to his feet and dusted himself off.

“Those types of plays are always reaction, right? It was nice that I reacted like I normally would,” Hoskins said. “I hadn’t really done that at [game] speed yet. I was able to kind of get up and [say], ‘OK, there’s another check mark.’ The goal is to check all the boxes before [the season begins]. I don’t think there’s any reason why I won’t be able to do that.”

Hoskins said he’s unsure of when he will play his first game at first base but guessed it will be “sometime next week.”

The competition for the fourth- and fifth-starter jobs got underway with Matt Moore and Vince Velasquez pitching two scoreless innings apiece.

“If I’m healthy and I’m able, I like my chances every time I’m out there,” said Moore, who signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the Phillies after pitching last season in Japan. “For me, it’s more about making sure that I’m capable and I’m able, and making sure that I’m ready to go when it’s my turn.”

Facing a Yankees lineup that included three projected regulars (Gio Urshela, Luke Voit, and Clint Frazier), Moore allowed one hit and one walk and struck out two batters. Velasquez entered in the third inning and struck out three of the six batters that he faced, including Urshela and Frazier on fastballs down in the zone.

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Moore and Velasquez are vying for rotation spots with Chase Anderson and Spencer Howard, both of whom are scheduled to pitch Friday against the Pittsburgh Pirates in Clearwater.

Of the four, Velasquez would seem to be the best candidate to pitch out of the bullpen as long as he embraced the role. He bounced between the rotation and bullpen last year, posting a 5.56 ERA overall. He has a 4.72 ERA in 106 career starts and a 4.78 ERA in 25 relief appearances.

“I think Vinny could be a weapon anywhere. I really do,” Girardi said. “Vinny has stuff. Vinny’s not just a two-pitch guy. He’s a four-pitch guy that has stuff. It’s just the consistency.”

Center-field candidates Scott Kingery, Odúbel Herrera, and Mickey Moniak homered, with Moniak going deep twice. Alec Bohm and Luke Williams also hit home runs. ... Young infielder Nick Maton had a three-run double in the big fourth inning. He also made a strong relay throw to cut down a runner at the plate in the second. ... Bryce Harper is scheduled to make his spring debut Friday as the DH against the Pirates. The game begins at 1:05 p.m. and will be televised on NBC Sports Philadelphia+.

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