Philadelphia Phillies

The Maikel Franco era could be starting soon

Published May. 12, 2015 1:23 a.m. ET

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Third baseman Maikel Franco has been on the verge of breaking out for some time now, and it looks like his time to become an everyday player for the Philadelphia Phillies is nearing.

Franco is hitting .336 on his second tour with the Triple-A IronPigs and he looks all set to come up, and stay up for good. Couple that with the Phillies current third baseman Cody Asche’s offensive struggles, and he has been practicing fielding fly balls in the outfield, and it is pretty clear that Franco is on his way up. Franco is also a better defensive third baseman than Asche.

The Phillies appear to be waiting at least another week to call up Franco. Not to give him extra at bats in the minors, but because they gain more control over his future. They will control his rights through the 2021 season if they wait to bring him up, and if they hold off until early July, he will not obtain Super 2 status in salary arbitration.

(h/t The Philadelphia Inquirer)