PHILADELPHIA -- Pete Mackanin's options are severely limited, but he knew he had to make a move.
He dropped Freddy Galvis out of the leadoff spot for Tuesday night's game against the Padres at Citizens Bank Park. Mackanin replaced Galvis with Cesar Hernandez, who is probably Mackanin's only legitimate option to hit there anyway.
"Nobody is really swinging well enough for me to put him there other than Cesar," Mackanin said before the Phillies' 3-0 victory.
Odubel Herrera gets on base enough to hit first, but Mackanin prefers to hit him second or third. Peter Bourjos has the speed to hit first, but he entered the night hitting .190 with a .227 on-base percentage. Galvis entered the night hitting .179 with a .172 on-base percentage. Galvis had not walked in 95 plate appearances this year, including 29 in the regular season and 66 in Spring Training.
Meanwhile, Hernandez entered the game hitting .409 with a .435 on-base percentage.
"I thought it was going to work for a while," Mackanin said about Galvis in the top spot. "I just want to find a spot for him to get a bit more comfortable."
Galvis has a career .279 on-base percentage. He had a career-high .302 on-base percentage last season. It might be difficult to expect him to reach base enough to warrant the top spot in the Phillies' lineup on a consistent basis.
But Mackanin said he is hopeful. He is trying to get Galvis to use a heavier bat, which is what he used at times last season to prevent him from overswinging.
"We've encouraged it," Mackanin said. "We haven't demanded it. I'm giving him enough leeway … there's going to come a point where I'm going to say you're either going to do it or you're not going to play. Hopefully it won't come to that."
The Phillies have been searching for a leadoff hitter since trading Ben Revere to the Blue Jays in July. Six different players have hit first in 67 games since the trade: Hernandez (28 times), Galvis (19), Herrera (seven), Chase Utley (seven), Darnell Sweeney (four) and Andres Blanco (two).