PEORIA, Ariz. -- Catcher Henry Blanco arrived at the Padres' Spring Training facility on Friday, a full week after the rest of the pitchers and catchers arrived in Peoria.

Blanco had been at home in Venezuela, tending to his mother, who was hospitalized with stomach ulcers and high blood pressure. Blanco was granted extra time at home by Padres general manager Kevin Towers.

"My mom was sick. I've had her in a clinic for a week and a half," Blanco said. "She's feeling better now. I'll wait until she's 100 percent and see if she wants to come here.

"I don't want to come here and not have my mind in the game. My agent talked to Kevin, and he gave me permission to have a few more days. I appreciated that."

Blanco, 37, signed a one-year deal with the Padres last month to serve as the main backup to Nick Hundley, who figures to get the majority of starts this season.

San Diego manager Bud Black didn't think that a week of lost time would affect Blanco in the least, even though he will be learning an entirely new pitching staff.

"It's very important that Henry gets to know the staff as quick as possible. ... It's going to ease in the transition," Black said. "On the other hand, I think what makes me feel a little more comfortable that Henry is a veteran catcher and his knowledge of catching and his career path with a number of clubs.

"He's gone through this before, so he knows how to go about it and learn a new staff. I think he has the mental skill-set to make this transition smooth."

Blanco was thrown right into the mix on Friday, as he spent time in the bullpen working with a number of pitchers as well as staying late to take batting practice.

"It feels good to be back. It was a good first day," Blanco said. "I was happy to catch a couple of bullpens, take batting practice. It felt good to be back."

Like Black, Blanco didn't see many issues with making up for lost time. With the World Baseball Classic, there's an additional week of Spring Training. Blanco still has six full weeks and 30-plus Cactus League games to get acquainted with the staff.

"It's going to be a good couple of weeks [before] I'm going to get to know them," Blanco said. "I'm going to spend all the time I need to get to know the pitching staff. I'm sure Nick knows more than I do about them. It's going to be fun."