By Harry Allison
Phillies’ third baseman Maikel Franco was not in the Phillies’ lineup yesterday and is day to day with a sore wrist after he was hit by a pitch Friday.
“I guess he’s got some tenderness,” manager Pete Mackanin said. “It’s not going to hurt him to not play for a few days.”
X-rays on Franco’s wrist came back negative, according to Mackanin, but the tenderness is more concerning since Franco fractured it in the same place last year. However, the third baseman has been icing and wrapping the wrist, and he said it doesn’t feel too severe.
“Because I can hit, grab a bat, like I did yesterday. … I hit yesterday with a bat, also,” Franco said. “That’s the thing I think about. It’s not super serious, because I can do some stuff.”
Pirates pitcher Gerrit Cole hit Franco with a 96-mph fastball in the first inning, and Franco continued to play until the bottom of the fourth. In his next at-bat, Franco singled on a ground ball to center field, but his wrist continued to nag him, and he was soon replaced by Andres Blanco.
Blanco played third base and batted third on Saturday. He went 2-for-2 with an RBI in Friday’s win.
Trainers will re-evaluate the wrist this morning, Franco said.
