Mariners manager Eric Wedge announced Wednesday he was making a change at shortstop, replacing Bredan Ryan with Robert Andino. It's not such an interesting move because Andino is now in the lineup as what it might mean for infield prospect Nick Franklin, who is off to a promising start for Triple-A Tacoma.
Franklin is one of the Mariners' top prospects, as Baseball America and MLB.com consider Franklin a top-100 prospect. Through 11 games for Tacoma, Franklin has a .325/.449/.500/.949 slash line. He also has two home runs and eight RBI, while having more walks (eight) than strikeouts (seven).
Let's face it -- Andino is not the long-term solution at shortstop for Seattle. While Ryan is a good defensive presence, he has very limited offensive upside. It seems this move could just be a temporary solution until the Mariners feel Franklin is ready to play regularly in the majors. Franklin has been splitting his time at second base and shortstop, so he could also be a possible substitute for struggling second baseman Dustin Ackley.
Although Franklin has had a slow progression through the minors, he's only 22 years old and has plenty of upside. If you are in deeper Fantasy formats and have ample reserve spots, then using a bench spot on Franklin could be a viable move.