Phillies lose Cody Asche to left hamstring strain, could call up third base prospect Maikel Franco

The Phillies announced an unfortunate roster move this afternoon …

3B @cody_smasche has been placed on the 15-day DL with a left hamstring strain. #PhilliesUpdate

— Phillies (@Phillies) May 25, 2014

To fill his spot on the 25-man roster, RHP @JustinDeFratus was recalled from @IronPigs.

— Phillies (@Phillies) May 25, 2014

Asche is batting .258/.346/.425 with four home runs and 18 RBI in 40 total games this season. Philly will use a platoon of Cesar Hernandez and Reid Brignac at third base in his absence initially, but top third base prospect Maikel Franco, who has caught fire at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, may become an option soon.

Franco, a 21-year-old Dominican, had 31 homers and 103 RBI last season in 134 minor league games.

Amaro said it is possible Maikel Franco could come up. “kicking it around,” he said.

— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyCSN) May 25, 2014

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The Blue Jays placed right-hander Aaron Sanchez on the 10-day disabled list with a contusion in his right index finger, per a team announcement on Saturday. The assignment is retroactive to Friday. In a corresponding move, righty Marcus Stroman was activated from the DL (right shoulder fatigue) and will take the mound for the Blue Jays at 9:07 PM ET tonight.

Sanchez, 25, is in his fifth season with the club. He hasn’t looked his sharpest so far this year, going 3-5 in 15 starts with a career-worst 4.52 ERA, 5.1 BB/9 and 7.6 SO/9 through 79 2/3 innings. It’s not yet clear how long he’ll be sidelined, though he could miss as little as one turn in the rotation before returning to the roster in the next week or two.

Sanchez isn’t the only struggling starter in Toronto’s rotation, either. Per MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm, the team placed southpaw Jaime Garcia on the DL (right shoulder tenderness) as well, with lefty reliever Tim Mayza scheduled to take his spot on the roster. In 13 starts this season, Garcia carried a 2-6 record, 6.16 ERA, 4.5 BB/9 and 8.2 SO/9 over 61 1/3 innings. Any further decisions pertaining to the rotation — including Tuesday’s starter against the Astros — have yet to be publicly addressed.