The possibility has been discussed in the past, but Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com has confirmed that the Phillies have begun to give Cody Asche some work in left field at the team’s complex in Clearwater, Florida.
The 24-year-old Asche has exclusively played third base in the majors, but top prospect Maikel Franco is knocking on the door for an extended opportunity. Franco could be a candidate to play first base if the Phillies trade or release Ryan Howard, but testing Asche’s versatility gives them more options this season.“He’s still our third baseman,” general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told CSNPhilly.com on Monday. “We view him as our opening day third baseman.
“But we have introduced him to some outfield. He’s doing some light drills out there, getting acclimated to outfield drills, rudimentary stuff.”
Asche owns an underwhelming .247/.307/.390 batting line in the majors, which wouldn’t exactly stand out in left field, but the Phillies are in rebuild mode and they might as well look for as many opportunities as possible to find out what their young players can do.
