Ben Francisco (hamstring) isn't guaranteed to be added to the Blue Jays roster when healthy.

Francisco was cleared to begin his rehab assignment Saturday, but his status with the Jays remains to be seen. "We have 20 days total to get him at-bats at the minor league level before we have to activate him [or] option him," manager John Farrell said. "We know he's a proven right-handed pinch-hitter that can come off the bench. We have to make sure that his hamstring is not an issue."

Ben Francisco has been diagnosed with a tear in his left hamstring.

Francisco, who was placed on the disabled list Friday, will be shut down for at least seven to 10 days. He's likely to be sidelined well beyond the minimum 15 days.

Blue Jays placed OF Ben Francisco on the 15-day disabled list, retroactive to May 21, with a strained left hamstring.

Francisco suffered the injury Sunday and hasn't recovered as hoped. He'll be out at least until early June.

Ben Francisco (hamstring) took five at-bats in a minor league game Sunday without any issues.

The Jays might keep him on the minor league side of things the next couple days just in case he has a setback and they need to backdate a DL move, but Francisco is fully expected to be ready for Opening Day. He should get plenty of playing time in left field this year against southpaws.

Ben Francisco (hamstring) is expected to return to game action this week.

Francisco hasn't played since Friday due to a strained left hamstring, but he was scheduled to go through a series of running drills and hit in the cage on Wednesday. The Blue Jays expect he will be ready come Opening Day.

Ben Francisco (hamstring) is expected to be ready for Opening Day.

Francisco strained his left hamstring in Friday's game but will only miss 5-7 days with the injury. He is hoping to land as a reserve wit the Blue Jays this season.

Blue Jays acquired OF Ben Francisco from the Phillies for LHP Frank Gailey.

Francisco, 30, registered a weak .704 OPS with six homers and 34 RBI in 100 games for the Phils this past season. He'll function as outfield depth for Toronto in 2012.

Ben Francisco smacked a pinch-hit, three-run homer off Cardinals starter Jaime Garcia to push the Phillies to a 3-2 win in Game 3 of the NLDS Tuesday.

Francisco was called upon to bat for starting pitcher Cole Hamels with two outs in the seventh and took Garcia deep to break a scoreless deadlock. It was only Francisco's second at-bat of the series. The Phillies will have a chance to move onto the Second Round Wednesday, when Roy Oswalt takes the hill against Edwin Jackson in St. Louis. If the Cardinals win, Chris Carpenter would face Roy Halladay on Friday in Philly.

Ben Francisco could be optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley when Roy Oswalt comes off the disabled list.

It's usually been John Mayberry that loses his spot when the Phils send down an outfielder, but he's hit two home runs in the last three games, while Francisco is batting a woeful .185 since the beginning of May. It's also possible the team could wind up sending a pitcher down.

Ben Francisco belted a two-run homer in Friday's win over the Rangers.

It's fitting that Francisco picked up his first extra base hit this month on the same day Domonic Brown was called up. Francisco is now batting .221 with five homers and 21 RBI on the season and is due to see his playing time slashed with Brown around, though he'll see some time in center with Shane Victorino out.

Ben Francisco went 2-for-3 with an RBI single in Sunday's 3-1 win over the Padres.

Francisco isn't nearly as good as he was in the first week of the year, but the bottom line is that he is going to bat fifth or sixth in the Phils' lineup most nights. With Raul Ibanez reaching the end of the line, the fourth and fifth outfielders will be used to in left field. Francisco is a good bet to sustain run production in right field all year.

In the midst of a 2-for-18 slump, Ben Francisco was given a night off Tuesday.

Francisco got off to a hot start this season but has been scuffling a bit of late. John Mayberry got the start in his place, and Mayberry could start again on Wednesday in place of Raul Ibanez.

Ben Francisco is batting fifth against Tim Hudson and the Braves on Friday night.

Here's some strategy on Charlie Manuel's part. The move was likely made to counter left-handers Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty if and/or when they encounter the Braves' bullpen.

Ben Francisco reached base in all four plate appearances Tuesday, going 3-for-3 with a hit by pitch and a run scored.

Francisco is now batting .365 this spring, and even though manager Charlie Manuel said he's yet to make up his mind, it's hard to envision anyone but him seeing the majority of at-bats in right field while Domonic Brown is out. Francisco should be a solid option in NL-only leagues and maybe even deeper mixed formats in the short term.

Phillies manager Charlie Manuel is still unsettled on who to start in right field to open the season.

"I'm also concerned with the right-field position," Manuel said after being asked about Chase Utley's status. "We've got guys we can put out there. But somebody's got to win that job. We've got to get some production, and we've got to play good defense. Our starting pitching, they're going to need defense. We've got to play the game right, and we've got to score runs." With Domonic Brown injured, Ben Francisco immediately became the heavy favorite to start. But Manuel said no one has won the job and indicated a platoon might be in order, saying, "right now we'd have to have a mix." Francisco is hitting .326 this spring and John Mayberry Jr. is hitting .319. Ross Gload posted a .813 OPS in 138 plate appearances last season but is a step down defensively from his competition.

Ben Francisco was scratched from Tuesday's spring game due to neck soreness.

Francisco should be fine after a day or two of rest. The 29-year-old outfielder is likely to play a major role during the early part of the 2011 season because projected starting right fielder Domonic Brown will be sidelined for about a month by hand surgery.

Ben Francisco delivered a two-run homer and an RBI double Sunday against the Yankees.

This after he triped and walked yesterday. Domonic Brown, on the other hand, is off to a rough start, having fanned all three times he was up today. It's still way early, but Francisco seems to want right field for himself in Philadelphia.

Ben Francisco tripled and walked in his two plate appearances Saturday as the Phillies edged the Yankees 5-4.

The Phillies are rooting for Domonic Brown to win the starting job in right field, but Francisco makes for a pretty solid fallback. At the very least, he should start against lefties, if not in Brown's place than in Raul Ibanez's.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Matt Gelb considers Ben Francisco the favorite to receive most of the playing time in right field.

The Phillies have indicated that they would prefer starting top prospect Domonic Brown at Triple-A, but he could certainly force their hand with a strong spring. Francisco is an underrated fallback option, though, and at the very least will see plenty of at-bats against left-handed pitching in 2011.

The Phillies and OF Ben Francisco avoided arbitration Saturday by agreeing to a one-year, $1.175 million contract.

Francisco is slated for a lot of at-bats against left-handers in 2011, as he'll fill in for both Domonic Brown and Raul Ibanez against southpaws. He could see even more starts than expected if Brown proves to need more seasoning at Triple-A. The former Indian could be an underrated option in NL-only leagues this season.