VIDEO: Phillies' Franco launches first MLB home run

Philadelphia Phillies reliever Justin De Fratus predicted hours before his club's series finale against the Arizona Diamondbacks that scuffling prospect Maikel Franco, recalled from Triple-A on Friday, would collect his first MLB home run Sunday afternoon.

De Fratus was right.

(Courtesy: MLB.com)

Heading into Sunday's clash at Citizens Bank Park, the 22-year-old third baseman was just 1-for-8 (.125) with a pair of strikeouts since joining the Phillies. Franco's strong performance against the Diamondbacks, though, was encouraging for Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg, who watched the young Dominican go 2-for-4 with a homer and a triple.

"I see him settling in," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg told MLB.com's Nick Suss. "It's great to see him swing the bat and connect. Maybe getting the home run out of the way might go a long way with him, not thinking about hitting the home run but having quality at-bats. I think he showed today much better quality at-bats and good contact. It's good to see that from him."