PEORIA, Ariz. -- Jamie Moyer, Freddy Garcia and Kazuhiro Sasaki skipped voluntary workouts Thursday on the first day for Seattle Mariners pitchers and catchers to report to spring training, but top prospect Ryan Anderson was on the field, continuing to work on his injured left shoulder.

	Anderson

There's no way he'll be with the Mariners on Opening Day, he said.

Anderson, 22, a 6-foot-11 southpaw, tore his rotator cuff last spring and underwent surgery March 6. He spent most of last season in Arizona recovering.

On Thursday, he went through some light conditioning that included 20 minutes of long-toss with pitching coach Bryan Price.

"It feels real good. No pain right now," Anderson said.

"I'm not 100 percent, not even close. I'm about 70 percent, but it's moving along quick now. I just want to get healthy, get back in the game no matter where I play whether it's rookie ball, A-ball or something, so I can compete."

Anderson began throwing again at the end of June and got back on the mound for fall instructional league, which ran from mid-September through October.

Monday was his first bullpen session since then.

"His delivery was pretty clean," Price said. "His arm was a little low, but we worked on that (Thursday) in his game of catch, and that was much better."

Anderson hasn't thrown at full speed since the injury, which is one reason he doesn't expect to be on the Opening Day roster.

"They have a staff already set. I didn't pitch at all last year, so I'm year behind," he said. "I've got to work my way through the organization again."

Price said the team doesn't want to rush him, but there's a spot for him in the bullpen.

"He can help us this year. There's a glaring opportunity in the bullpen for a left-handed guy, for him to get his feet wet and really help the ballclub," Price said. "With Ryan Anderson and his ability, we're going to create a spot when he's ready to pitch in the big leagues. ... But in the same respect, you don't want to rush the guy and create a chronic injury situation. We won't do that."

Game notes
The Mariners first scheduled workout is Friday morning. The team promoted Benny Looper to vice president of player development Thursday. Looper, who is in his 16th year with the club, had served as director of player development since 1997. Joe Chard, director of corporate business and community relations, and Kevin Martinez, director of marketing, also were promoted to vice presidents. The Mariners' Pat Gillick was in Kansas City on Wednesday night to accept the General Manager of the Year Award at the Negro League Baseball Museum.