PEORIA, Ariz. -- The reunion with former teammates had to wait. When pitcher Andy Ashby finally rolled in to spring training bright and early Friday morning, he more or less had the complex to himself -- well, he and a couple of clubhouse attendants.

Nowhere to be found were players Trevor Hoffman, Sterling Hitchcock and Joey Hamilton, nor guest coaches Ken Caminiti and Wally Joyner, all of whom Ashby played with during that magical World Series run of 1998. They had the morning off leading up to a night game against Milwaukee.

Perhaps it was fitting that Ashby, who pitched for the Padres from 1993-99, found himself by his lonesome. That's because he's on a different schedule than everyone else. At 36, Ashby isn't trying to win a spot on this year's roster. He's trying to win a spot on next year's roster.

The unusual situation is a result of the delicate condition of Ashby's right elbow, which he blew out last September while pitching for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

After undergoing ligament-replacement surgery following the season, he mulled retirement, unsure how much mileage would be left in his arm at the end of the yearlong rehabilitation. He doubted any team would want his services anyway. After all, Ashby was terrible in his last of three seasons in L.A., going 3-10 with a 5.18 ERA while bouncing between the bullpen and his accustomed place in the starting rotation.

"It would have been too easy to shut it down," he said. "And I'd be kicking myself in the head wondering what if I had tried to come back, wondering what would have happened. So if it doesn't work out, it doesn't work out. But I know I'm going to do everything I can to make it work. Otherwise, I'll have to try something else. Start fishing."

The Padres would prefer that he throw hooks rather than cast them.

Responding to feelers from Ashby's agent, Adam Katz, they signed the two-time All-Star to a minor-league contract last month. Their plan is for Ashby to rehab his elbow with the team during spring training and throughout the season with an eye toward a big-league return in 2005.

"The way we look at this, there's really no downside," Padres general manager Kevin Towers said. "It gives us a chance to watch him up close for the next five to six months, see how his rehab's coming along. And I'd like to think we'd have the right of first refusal to sign the guy this winter when he comes back healthy and ready to pitch again."

Ashby said he has been throwing for 2 1/2 weeks from as far as 40 feet, soon to be extended to 50 feet. He's scheduled to resume throwing off a mound in July, with the possibility of a minor-league rehab assignment at the end of the season.

"Everything feels good," said Ashby, who owns a home in Del Mar, not far from his rehab base of Petco Park. "The main thing is just to get in a routine here and continue it throughout the year. But it's nice to be back here in this clubhouse with everybody. I missed it.

"I know there's a chance I'm not going to pitch, but just to be part of it and be around is exciting for me. I'll do what I have to do to get healthy and see what happens."

The Padres will have stumbled upon a heck of a bargain if Ashby can even approach the form of his baseball heyday. In his last five seasons with the Padres, he won 61 games, averaged 195 innings and only once recorded an earned-run average higher than 3.80.

"We've seen some miracles with this surgery lately. Guys are coming back stronger than ever from Tommy John (procedures)," Towers said. "If he can get healthy and regain the arm strength, he's a low-to-mid 90s guy with a hard cutter and a strike thrower with tons of experience. I don't see him as a guy who should be finished."

Ashby stands two wins away from 100 for his career, and he would like nothing better than to reach that milestone as a Padre.

"I've told them that this is where I want to end my career," he said. "I've played in a lot of different places, but the memories that I have of San Diego are special."

Contact staff writer Brian Hiro at b_hiro@hotmail.com.