Maikel Franco sits out again with sore thumb

WASHINGTON - A sore right thumb is the latest ailment for Maikel Franco as his trying season nears the finish line.

Franco was held out of the game Thursday in Washington for the second straight day as he nurses a thumb injury, which he suffered last Sunday but did not tell the Phillies about until Wednesday. Franco said he jammed his thumb on a swing. Manager Pete Mackanin said Franco is day to day.

Franco said the injury felt a lot better on Thursday than it did on Wednesday, which gives him hope that he could play this weekend. Franco already has missed time this season with knee and wrist injuries. He has played in 131 games.

"I didn't think it would be too serious, but then I started to feel it on Monday," Franco said. "At the end of the day, I have to take it more serious because it affects me when I'm hitting."

The injury comes as Franco is batting .185 in his last 54 at-bats. He entered Friday batting .246 with a .298 on-base percentage and 22 homers in 504 at-bats. Franco failed to build on last season's rookie campaign when he batted .280 with a .343 on-base percentage in 80 games.

The 24-year-old is in the midst of his first full major-league season and could be worn out. He is batting .223 with just five homers in 206 at-bats since he played in his 81st game, which surpassed last year's game count.

"He had a good start to the season and then he started getting as I call it 'homer happy,' " Mackanin said. "Once you get into a rut like that, it's hard to get out of it. You have to make an obvious change to your approach, which is difficult to do. ... When you're doing something over and over and over again and you're not getting results, then you have to make a change. You have to do it differently. You have to make an adjustment. He's still trying to make that adjustment."

Franco is unsure if he will play this winter in an offseason Caribbean league. He played the last four winters in his native Dominican Republic and hopes to return. It would give him the chance to make up for the time he missed with injuries.

"It's really tough," Franco said. "Everything was good in spring training, but when the season started, so many things happened. It's part of the game. I have to understand that. The only thing I have to do is to get refreshed, get relaxed, and get my mind ready. And I know that's going to happen."

Jake Thompson, who pitches for the Phillies on Friday, has allowed three earned runs in his last 14 innings. The Phillies will face righthander Tanner Roark, who has dominated the Phillies this season. He is 3-0 with a 0.64 ERA in four starts this season against the Phils.