Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg indicated that third baseman Cody Asche is the "leading candidate" to start at third base in 2014, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports.
"He's proven defensively he can play third base," Sandberg said. "And I think his bat has played. He's shown a good steady bat. I think down the stretch it's turned into a little bit of a long season for him possibly. I understand that. But the work ethic and the quality swing for a young guy like that is pretty good."
Asche has hit .248/.319/.416 with five home runs and 22 RBI in 149 at-bats. He has served as the team's starting third baseman in 32 of the team's 45 games since his promotion in late July.