First thoughts are on family

The first baseman’s mitt is already broken in. There is familiarity where there was uncertainty. But Nomar Garciaparra’s second spring as a Dodger will not be without stress.

His wife, former soccer star Mia Hamm, is expecting twins in April, the couple’s first children.

“We’re blessed and fortunate,” Garciaparra said Tuesday. “But not being there with her the last month and a half of her pregnancy is going to be tough.”

Garciaparra said the injuries that plagued him last season have healed, pointing to his rigorous off-season workout regimen as proof.

“I judge myself by the way I can work out in the off-season, and I didn’t have to hold back,” he said. “That’s a good sign.”

Although Garciaparra said he prepared himself physically to play any position the Dodgers wanted, it appears he’ll be able to stick with that nicely broken-in first baseman’s mitt.

“At this time we’ll just be leaving Nomar at first base,” Manager Grady Little said.

The only factor that could change Garciaparra’s position is the development of top prospect James Loney. But even if Loney makes the team, he would back up at first base and the corner outfield spots.

Little plans to give Garciaparra, who batted .303 with 20 home runs and 93 runs batted in, a significant amount of rest in an effort to keep him from experiencing another late-season tailspin. That would be the case even if Loney begins the season at triple A.

“We have Olmedo Saenz to play first, Jeff Kent can slide over once in a while, and you might see Marlon Anderson there sometimes,” Little said.

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Derek Lowe got the word from Little first thing in the morning. The manager will give the veteran right-hander the ball on opening day April 2 at Milwaukee.

“It’s something to look forward to,” Lowe said. “The way I pitched last year was extremely disappointing, so to get another opportunity is great.”

Lowe was referring to his opening-day start against the Atlanta Braves last season when he gave up four runs in the first inning and left after five innings with the Dodgers trailing, 8-5, in an eventual 11-10 loss.

Lowe also started the 2005 opener, giving up two earned runs in a 4-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants.

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Fernando Tatis, a former everyday third baseman who hit 34 home runs for the St. Louis Cardinals in 1999, remade himself as a utility player last year after sitting out the 2004 and 2005 seasons.

Now he is trying to get back to the big leagues to stay, accepting a minor league contract with the Dodgers.

“I love the game,” he said. “I still feel pretty strong. I don’t think I lost my ability.”

Tatis, 32, had made $15 million when he walked away from baseball, wanting to spend time with his wife and five children in the Dominican Republic and remove himself from the painful grind of playing on banged-up knees and assorted other injuries.

He came back last season, spending the bulk of it at triple A and getting 56 at-bats with the Baltimore Orioles. Tatis said he is healthier than at any time since 2000.

“When you play hurt, it’s not right,” he said. “Every player knows what that’s all about. I was hurt for two years before I walked away. It’s something that bothers your mind all the time.”

steve.henson@latimes.com