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Phillies Notes: Will Phillies prospect Jerad Eickhoff be called up?

MILWAUKEE - The Phillies have four rookie pitchers on their 25-man roster. A fifth could be joining the fold shortly.

Jerad Eickhoff.
Jerad Eickhoff.Read more(Charlie Riedel/AP)

MILWAUKEE - The Phillies have four rookie pitchers on their 25-man roster. A fifth could be joining the fold shortly.

The Phillies announced before the game Sunday that Aaron Nola will start Tuesday, meaning they do not need to fill David Buchanan's rotation vacancy until Saturday in Miami. A probable option is Lehigh Valley righthander Jerad Eickhoff, who was acquired from Texas as part of the Cole Hamels trade.

"Right now, I'm playing for Lehigh and I can't worry about things that are out of my control," Eickhoff told reporters Saturday in Allentown. "I just try to pitch the best that I can and let them make decisions. When it's my time, it's my time."

Eickhoff, 25, has a 2.49 ERA in three starts with the IronPigs. If he pitches for the Phillies on Saturday, he will be the fourth Phillies starter to reach the big leagues for the first time this season.

"I wasn't there too long ago, and the advice that I was told was to be yourself and don't really step out of your boundaries," Nola said. "Do what you have been doing, because it has worked and it has gotten you there."

Nola enters Tuesday's start after allowing four runs over five innings in his last outing. The 22-year-old allowed two runs in the first inning before settling down. He threw a season-high 73 percent of his pitches for strikes. His ability to throw strikes is what helped push him so quickly through the minor leagues.

"I've had some struggles and I've had some success," Nola said. "But I'm still striving to do better every outing. My main goal and my main philosophy every time I go out there is to put the guys in the best position to win. I haven't done that sometimes, but the offense has been playing great and so has the defense."

Franco nearing return

Maikel Franco did not swing in the indoor batting cages Sunday, as he had done before the previous two games. He was instructed to take a day off and rest his sore right wrist. Franco will take early batting practice Tuesday at Citizens Bank Park, which will determine his availability for the game against Toronto.

Chase Utley also was held out of the lineup. Interim manager Pete Mackanin said Utley was available off the bench, but he wanted to give him two straight days of rest before Tuesday's game against Toronto. Mackanin said he wasn't positive but felt that Franco would play on Tuesday.

"If he feels good, if he's 100 percent, he's going to play," Mackanin said. "If not, then he probably won't play." - Matt Breen