Maikel Franco has monster night for Nationals in win over Braves
While much of the discussion surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies over the last 12 hours has pertained to Alec Bohm’s wild night in a comeback win over the New York Mets, the man who amounts to his predecessor at third base had a noteworthy performance of his own Monday night.
Maikel Franco — currently the starting third baseman for the Washington Nationals — went 4-5 with a 396-foot home run, a double and five RBIs out of the eight hole Monday night, in an 11-2 win over the Atlanta Braves:
Still only 29, Franco is getting a chance to be the starter at third base in the absence of Carter Kieboom. Franco made the Nationals Opening Day roster after signing a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training. He’s part of a team that also includes former Phillies César Hernández and Victor Arano.
Of course, Franco spent parts of six seasons with the Phillies, hitting 102 home runs and posting a .733 OPS. He was non-tendered by the Phillies after the 2019 season, and has since played for the Kansas City Royals and Baltimore Orioles. He even had a brief detour in the minor-league system of the Braves at the end of the 2021 season.
The Phillies won’t see Franco and the Nationals until a five-game weekend series in D.C. in June.
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