Daily Dose: Be Like Maikel

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Phillies fans don’t have much to get excited about these days, but Maikel Franco is doing his best to change that.

The rookie third baseman had a monster night Monday, taking Michael Pineda deep with a solo shot in the first inning and then homering off of Chris Capuano with a two-run dinger in the sixth. Oh, and he also had an infield single and a two-RBI single for a 4-for-5, five-RBI night. Not bad for the 22-year-old.

This has been a month-long thing for Franco. The third baseman hit .194 in May after being promoted in the middle of that month, but he’s gone off in June with a .405 batting mark, seven doubles, seven home runs and 16 RBI over 20 games.

Franco was a .280 hitter in the minors and was never one to draw many walks, so we probably can’t count on him continuing to hit for a high average. He didn’t strike out a ton in the minors, though, and his 14.5 percent strikeout rate this season with the Phils is perfectly fine. A .312 hitter he is not, but he also probably won’t kill your average.

Having averaged 29 home runs and 43 doubles over his last two full seasons in the minors, Franco’s power is most certainly for real. He’s now settled into the No. 3 spot in the Phillies’ lineup and is looking like a guy fantasy owners will be able to count on.

Freeman Headed to DL

The Braves have fared better than expected on offense this season to this point, but they’re not a club that can sustain the loss of easily their best hitter. Unfortunately, it looks like that’s exactly what they’ll be dealing with, as Freddie Freeman appears ticketed for the disabled list with a right wrist injury.

Freeman had played in a major league-high 243 straight games through last Wednesday, but he’s missed four straight games with wrist discomfort and was sent for an MRI. The Braves haven’t revealed the results of that test, but the first baseman did not accompany the club on their flight to Washington on Monday.

It’s not clear at this point how long Freeman might be sidelined, as the Braves should reveal more once an official DL move is made Tuesday. With the All-Star game just three weeks away, you have to figure the slugger will be out at least until the beginning of the second half.

Kelly Johnson has filled in at first base for Freeman each of the last four games and should receive regular starts at the position versus righties. The 33-year-old sports a pedestrian .252/294/.437 batting line this season but has six homers and 21 RBI over 39 games. Joey Terdoslavich will be recalled to take Freeman’s roster spot and could play some versus lefties, although Chris Johnson is also an option for first base against southpaws.

Buxton Thrives in Leadoff Spot

Twins manager Paul Molitor moved Byron Buxton from the No. 9 spot to the leadoff spot in the lineup on Monday in hopes that it would jump-start the youngster. It appears the plan may have worked.

Buxton helped spark the Twins’ 13-run, 15-hit outburst against the White Sox by going 3-for-5 with a double and three runs scored. The 21-year-old also contributed on defense, nabbing Melky Cabrera at home plate in the third inning with a laser.

There’s no getting around Buxton’s 3-for-25 start in his first eight games. He struck out nine times and walked twice over those eight contests and looked particularly vulnerable against breaking stuff from right-handers. Chances are the top prospect isn’t ready, as he didn’t have much experience at Double-A before skipping over Triple-A when the Twins called him up.

We also can’t deny the talent oozing out of Buxton’s pores, though, and he’s certainly much more interesting in redraft leagues if he sticks in the leadoff spot. Don’t go kicking the wunderkind to the curb just yet.

National League Quick Hits: Kris Bryant smacked a pair of homers and drew a walk in Monday’s win over the Dodgers ... Lance Lynn (forearm) will rejoin the Cardinals’ rotation on Thursday in Miami ... Dodgers manager Don Mattingly noted Monday that Andre Ethier will keep the left field job after Carl Crawford (oblique) returns from the disabled list ... Tsuyoshi Wada left Monday’s outing with cramping in his left deltoid but expects to make his next start ... Dexter Fowler was sent for X-rays after exiting Monday’s game with a sprained ankle ... The Diamondbacks optioned former closer Addison Reed to Triple-A ... Aroldis Chapman was placed on the paternity leave list Monday ... Jason Motte allowed a home run but notched a save for the Cubs Monday, with Pedro Strop and Hector Rendon preceding him in the game ... Jorge Soler (ankle) is about a week away from beginning a rehab assignment ...

American League Quick Hits: Albert Pujols hit two more homers Monday, giving him 15 over his last 24 games ... An MRI on Jered Weaver's left hip showed no structural damage, but he’s not expected back before the All-Star break ... Ivan Nova (elbow) will make his season debut on Wednesday against the Phillies ... Nelson Cruz left Monday's game versus the Royals with right hamstring tightness ... An MRI on Mark Teixeira's neck came back negative, but he was given a cortisone shot and is expected to miss at least one more game ... Michael Pineda was shelled for eight runs across 3 1/3 innings in Monday’s loss to the Phillies ... Brett Gardner went 4-for-4 with a walk, a three-run home run, and two runs scored on Monday ... Kennys Vargas finished 4-for-4 with an RBI single and a three-run home run in the Twins’ rout of the White Sox on Monday ... Yoenis Cespedes went 3-for-3 with a double, a home run and three RBI versus the Indians Monday ... Roberto Osuna earned his first save of the season with two scoreless frames in Monday’s win over the Rays ... The Blue Jays are targeting Friday as a return date for Devon Travis (shoulder) ... Jose Altuve (hamstring) returned to the Astros' lineup Monday ...