Christian

Franklin

Franklin heads to the shelf with the Orioles bringing up Heston Kjerstad in addition to adding Luis Robert Jr. on a waiver claim. The 26-year-old rookie hit .147 (5-for-34) with two steals during a 16-game cameo after being called up last month.

This is a bit of a surprise. The 26-year-old Franklin is hitting .249/.375/.360 in Triple-A with six home runs and 17 steals. Meanwhile, Heston Kjerstad is hitting .276/.309/.431 with eight home runs in 59 games in Triple-A for the Orioles. If he wasn’t going to get an opportunity, you wonder if the Orioles could have found any takers for him at the deadline.

The 26-year-old Franklin had slipped to .249/.375/.360 in Triple-A this year after finishing at .290/.382/.427 at the same level last year. He lacks the power one wants from a left fielder and the glove required to play center regularly, but he wouldn’t embarrass himself as a major league reserve.

Bennett returned from Tommy John to post a 2.27 ERA in 18 starts and one relief appearance in the minors last season, and he was also one of the best pitchers in the AFL, finishing with a 4.50 ERA and a 25/5 K/BB in 20 innings. He might debut in the second half of next season. Franklin, who was acquired from the Cubs for Michael Soroka at the deadline, was also a pretty easy call here. Cornelio is more of a surprise, as neither his stuff nor command seems major league quality, but the Nationals have a lack of starting pitching depth and plenty of flexibility when it came to the 40-man roster. He might get a chance to compete for a spot in spring training.

Franklin has displayed strong plate skills this season at the Triple-A level, slashing .265/.393/.427 with eight homers and 11 steals in 390 plate appearances over 86 games. The 25-year-old outfielder is fairly close to making it to the big leagues at this stage of his development.

Franklin’s six at-bats produced five-hard hit balls ranging from 99.5 mph to 111.2 mph. The Cubs’ 2021 fourth-round pick isn’t really known for his power, but the strength is obviously there, and he’s been a little better at lifting the ball this year, with his groundball rate falling from 60 percent in Double-A last season to 49 percent in Triple-A. He’s currently hitting .255/.393/.394, and with his ability to play all three outfield spots, he’s tracking as a potentially useful fourth outfielder.