Asche close to beginning Class A rehab stint

PHILADELPHIA -- Cody Asche is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment Friday with Class A Lakewood.

Ryne Sandberg said Asche may need six to seven rehab games before he could rejoin the team.

The Phillies would like Asche back at third base as soon as possible. Cesar Hernandez and Reid Brignac have been manning the position since Asche landed on the disabled list May 23 with a strained left hamstring. They entered Wednesday hitting a combined .188 (12-for-64) with two doubles, two RBIs, six walks and 22 strikeouts at third base since then.

Asche had hit .317 (19-for-60) with five doubles, three home runs, 12 RBIs, nine walks, 11 strikeouts and a .956 OPS in May before the injury.

"He was at the bottom of the order and doing some good things," Sandberg said. "I'd say that we've missed that. In the meantime, it's a chance for some other guys to play. For Cesar, it's a position that could be necessary for him to be a utility guy on that side of the field, so he has some experience there. Brignac is more of a veteran guy. So, that's been the options."

Maikel Franco, rated the organization's top prospect by MLB.com, is hitting .162 (12-for-74) since May 23 at Triple-A, which would seem to rule him out.