So much for that: Mariners demote Nick Franklin back to Triple-A - MLB

It looked like the Mariners might give Nick Franklin an extended opportunity to earn playing time in their outfield following Logan Morrison’s hamstring injury, but one day after Franklin started in the outfield for the first time in his professional career he’s headed back to Triple-A.

Franklin went 2-for-13 in a six-game call-up to Seattle after hitting .395 in 11 games at Triple-A, and instead of letting him take a crack at a regular outfield gig the Mariners will have him continue to showcase himself for a potential trade as a middle infielder in the minors.

There was one play Wednesday in which Franklin clearly looked like a newbie in the outfield and perhaps that was a factor in the quick demotion, because Greg Johns of MLB.com reports that the Mariners will replace him on the roster with journeyman outfielder Cole Gillespie.

Franklin played 102 games for the Mariners last season as a 22-year-old rookie and before that consistently ranked as a top-100 prospect, but lost his starting job at second base when Seattle signed Robinson Cano.

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CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”