Cesar Hernandez gets a chance to prove himself

NEW YORK - Much of this Phillies season is about discerning which young players could factor into the team's future. Maikel Franco has given fans hope for brighter days, but the season's final 88 games will be important for several others on the roster.

Cesar Hernandez is one of those players, and now, because of of Chase Utley's ankle injury, the 25-year-old Venezuelan is getting a chance to showcase himself on a regular basis.

"It's a big opportunity for me because I'm going to play every day," he said. "I want to let the team [know] I can do it."

Even before Utley's right-ankle inflammation landed him on the 15-day disabled list, the switch-hitting Hernandez had already begun to garner more playing time. He enters the series opener Friday against Max Scherzer and the Washington Nationals hitting .242 over 132 at-bats.

Hernandez has made 16 starts at second base, eight at shortstop, and five at third base through 74 games. His 32 hits are only seven fewer than Utley, who went on the DL hitting a major-league-worst .179. Among players with 150 plate appearances, Hernandez's 12.3 walk percentage ranked 14th in the National League coming into Thursday.

"It's a great opportunity for him," Phillies bench coach Larry Bowa said. "You can talk about potential and tools and all that. The bottom line is you have to go out and do it. And up till now I think he's done a great job wherever he's played.

"Pinch-hitting, he's come off the bench and got some big hits for us. He can steal a base. He's going to get an opportunity to play every day for at least 15 days, so that's going to probably be close to 60 at-bats. We'll see what happens. . . . I think he's got an opportunity here and he's got to take advantage of it."

Hernandez, who debuted for the Phillies in 2013 and appeared in 66 games last year, has already set career highs in plate appearances (155), doubles (9), RBIs (15), and runs (22). He is on a last-place team that has scored the lowest run total in the National League, so his .344 on-base percentage is only .014 off the Phillies' lead.

Given that he hasn't had everyday at-bats for a full season since 2012, when he played for double-A Reading and triple-A Lehigh Valley, it will be important for Hernandez to show he can handle the increased workload. If he slumps, the coaches and management will surely watch closely to see how he handles the adversity.

"That all comes into the equation [when learning] if a guy can handle playing every day," Bowa said. "You can't get down. It's a grind. You go out there every day and every day's a new day, whether you got three hits yesterday or you went 0 for 4 and struck out four times. It's a new day, and sometimes young guys have a tendency to carry it over. That's natural, but you've got to go through that."

Hernandez is hitting .300 over his last 40 at-bats. He drove in five runs during the Phillies' three-game winning streak from Sunday to Tuesday but went 0 for 3 with a walk in the loss Wednesday. He has been charged with four errors this season but has played an adequate second base.

"We all know he's got tools. He showed us that even last year," Bowa said. "He runs. He can throw. He's got good range.

"I think the one thing he's got to do is eliminate mental mistakes. Just different things, missing the base, not tagging up on a ball maybe he should have tagged up on. Things that maybe when you're not playing every day you're not on top of it. He's got to be alert at all times. He's got tools. He's got real good tools. It's a matter of playing consistent baseball."

For at least the next two weeks, Hernandez will be afforded plenty of opportunities to do so.

@jakemkaplan