Phillies Notebook: Amaro: Franco not ready yet

WHEN THE Phillies reported to spring training a little over 3 months ago, the depth at third base was minimal.

There was incumbent Cody Asche, who played 50 games as a rookie at the position last year. There was Kevin Frandsen, who was never known for his defense, which was one reason he wasn't even in camp anymore before camp broke in March. There was Freddy Galvis, a great option defensively but not really viewed as a starting candidate at third. And then there was Maikel Franco, the organization's top prospect, who hit 36 home runs between Class A Clearwater and Double A Reading last season.

Franco began this season at Triple A. But when Asche was placed on the DL over the weekend, Franco, who turns 22 in August, was not summoned to the big leagues, even if management did acknowledge it gave it thought.

"He's just not playing good enough baseball yet, he's not really ready to be a big-leaguer yet," general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said before last night's game at Citizens Bank Park. "There's no reason to bring Franco unless he's ready to be a big-leaguer, as far as I'm concerned. If he puts together a few days. Offensively, he's made some adjustments, he's made some improvements better than in the earlier part of the season, but he's not really going on all cylinders now. We're still contemplating it. We'll see how it goes."

Before Amaro spoke during pregame batting practice, manager Ryne Sandberg said the team wanted to summon Franco only when he was in a groove offensively. Franco may just have gotten sick at a poor time; he was out of the lineup for back-to-back games over the weekend while battling an upper-respiratory illness.

Franco returned to the IronPigs' lineup Monday, when he went 0-for-3 with a walk.

"He played like he was sick [Monday]," Amaro said.

Franco, who went 1-for-4 with a run scored in the first game of the IronPigs' doubleheader at Norfolk yesterday, has come on strong in May after a dreadful April.

Franco, rated the No. 17 prospect in the game by Baseball America this winter, hit .172 with a .487 OPS in the season's first month at Lehigh. He had five extra-bases hits - one home run - in 23 games in April.

In May, Franco has hit .291 with an .849 OPS, three home runs and six doubles in 22 games.

But if Franco is deemed unready at the moment, and Asche returns from his hamstring injury in 2 weeks, as expected, is there even a window where Franco could get to the big leagues in the next week or so?

"He could. It's possible," Amaro said. "Just to get him hot at the point where he's confident and feeling good about his swing and being in a good rhythm. There's no reason to bring a guy up who's not swinging the bat very well."

Entering play yesterday, Phillies third basemen ranked 24th in baseball in OPS (.636), 25th in extra-base hits (12) and 27th in both batting (.207) and total bases (57). Cesar Hernandez, who wasn't even playing the position when spring training began, started at third for the fifth straight game last night.

Although Franco's foot speed limits not only his baserunning but also his range at third, Sandberg gave the prospect the edge defensively over his current, everyday third baseman.

"I give Franco the edge [over Asche] on the defense just with the natural glove instincts that he has," Sandberg said. "He just has a knack for reading balls and drop-stepping and real quick with his feet, even for a guy with his size, and he showed that in the spring."

Ryan Howard went 3-for-5 with five RBI and his first home run in 2 1/2 weeks on Monday. Last night, he was out of the lineup, and his manager mentioned the real possibility of platooning the $125 million slugger.

Darin Ruf made his second start since being recalled from Triple A Lehigh Valley a week ago. Sandberg was asked whether the righthanded-hitting Ruf could start in place of Howard against lefthanders.

The Phillies were matched up against Colorado's Jorge De La Rosa.

"Yeah, if it happens to work," Sandberg said of a platoon. "It's an opportunity to have a lineup like that and if it produces that becomes an opportunity and possibility going forward, just to possibly to get some consistency with the offense against righthanded and lefthanded pitching."

But isn't it somewhat difficult to platoon a guy making $25 million this season?

"It's hard, but if it's effective and it works, maybe it's a positive for two players and maybe it's a positive for the team," Sandberg said.

Howard is hitting .182 against lefthanders in the last three seasons. He's struck out 109 times in 253 plate appearances against lefthanders since 2012.

Cliff Lee will be evaluated by team physician Michael Ciccotti today, according to Ruben Amaro Jr.

Lee will almost certainly have to reboot his throwing program after being shut down from throwing for a week, which would push back his return date.

"It could be up to a month, it could be a month and a half, it could be 3 weeks," Amaro said. "I have no idea when the guy is going to be ready to pitch. I really don't. I would think it be sooner rather than later, but I have no timetable until he's up and throwing again."

Blog: ph.ly/HighCheese