updated 9:28 p.m. ET Sept. 20, 2007

ARLINGTON, Texas - Sosa confident he’ll play again in ’08, preferably for Rangers

Sammy Sosa expects to play again in 2008. He would like it to be with the Texas Rangers, even though he’s been only a part-time player since the start of August.

Manager Ron Washington indicated this week that he’d like to have Sosa back next season, though he didn’t say in what role.

Sosa, the 38-year-old slugger who rejoined the Rangers this spring after a year out of the game, said before Texas opened its final homestand Thursday that he looked forward to sitting down with team officials after the season.

“I definitely believe there is going to be some conversations after the year is over. Definitely, I’d love to come back here, no question about it,” Sosa said. “I would love to see what they have planned for me.”

The Rangers signed Sosa only through this season, initially giving him a minor league deal before he made the roster in spring training for a base salary of $600,000.

After the July 31 trade deadline, the Rangers told Sosa his time would be limited while they played and evaluated younger players.

Sosa had played in only 23 of the last 46 games going into Thursday night’s game against Baltimore, when he wasn’t in the starting lineup. He hit .315 (23-for-73) with four homers and 20 RBIs in that stretch.

He was tied with Brad Wilkerson for the team high with 20 homers and leading Texas with 90 RBIs heading into the matchup with the Orioles.

“He has certainly showed the class act that he is,” Washington said. “He took it like the great professional that he is.”

When Sosa was asked if he’d be willing to come back in that kind of role with the Rangers next season, he said he’d have to wait and see. But he wouldn’t say no yet.

“The first choice is here. I love this team,” Sosa said. “This team is the one that gave me one of the greatest opportunities.”

If things don’t work out in Texas, Sosa plans to play somewhere. He is confident other teams would call him.

“No question about it. The numbers I have, even Japan is going to make that call,” Sosa said with a smile, adding that he’s not planning to go to Japan.

And if not, Sosa could go back to what he was doing during his year away from baseball.

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“When I wasn’t playing, I was having a good time too,” Sosa said. “I was living la vida Sosa.”

Sosa was a lanky 16-year-old when he originally signed with the Rangers in 1985, four years before he made his major league debut and then was traded to the Chicago White Sox. With the Chicago Cubs from 1992-2004, Sosa was a seven-time All-Star, hit 545 of his home runs and became the only player with three 60-homer seasons.

After spending last summer at home in the Dominican Republic following a tumultuous 2005 in Baltimore, Sosa insisted he was coming back for more than the 12 home runs he needed to reach 600 and expected to play several more seasons.

Sosa joined Bonds, Hank Aaron, Babe Ruth and Willie Mays in the 600-homer club on June 20 against the Cubs.

“This year, I’ve been enjoying more than any other year that I had in Chicago,” Sosa said. “You get away for a year and then you come back and start to enjoy the game, really enjoy every moment. That’s the difference. That’s the joy that I have.”

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