Maikel Franco's road to big leagues loops back around to minors

Maikel Franco spent most of the spring singling, many of which were grounders with eyes and in at least one case snuck under a glove or two. But there's something familiar about the 22-year-old spending March one-baggin' it...

Maikel Franco was 6 or 30, all singles, before he was optioned this morning. Last spring he was 7 for 38, all singles. #Phillies

— Jake Kaplan (@jakemkaplan) March 20, 2015

Hmm, yes. Well.

He never wound up competing too ferociously with Cody Asche at third, whose .259/.300/.444 slash line with two doubles and a home run was enough to make him stand out.

"His time will come when it's time for him to come," Ruben Amaro said, that sentence barely making it out of his mouth alive. The GM theorized that Franco had been pushing a bit too hard to try and get that sweet, sweet approval from the esteemed father figures on the Phillies decision-making staff.

Franco will be stationed at third base for the IronPigs, but the good news is, no matter where he goes, he is now on Twitter and we can updates on how he's doing and what he's staring at contemplatively.

pic.twitter.com/uwIjIoLVym

— Maikel Franco (@MaikelFranco7) March 18, 2015

Also demoted from big league camp were potential fifth starter Joely Rodriguez and reliever Nefi Ogando.

UPDATE: Maikel Franco is a failure, nm

@ryanlawrence21 @phillysport He is just one in a long line of Phillies prospects who have been a failure !!!

— MickKos (@MickKospia) March 20, 2015