Nick Franklin went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk versus the Yankees on Friday.

The Mariners probably don't want to risk putting too much pressure on their rookies after the recent spectacular failures of Jesus Montero and Dustin Ackley, but Franklin looks like their best option to hit leadoff right now. He already has a nice 5/7 K/BB ratio to go along with his .278 average in 36 at-bats.

Mariners purchased the contract of INF Nick Franklin from Triple-A Tacoma.

Franklin was off to a torrid start this season with the Tacoma Rainiers, batting .324/.440/.472 with four home runs and seven stolen bases in 39 games. The talented 22-year-old can play shortstop and second base, and should carry immediate value in mixed fantasy leagues.

Ryan Divish of the Tacoma News Tribune reports that the Mariners are calling up infield prospect Nick Franklin.

Franklin has hit .324/.440/.472 with four home runs and seven stolen bases in 39 games this season at the Triple-A level and is worth grabbing in standard mixed fantasy leagues. The Mariners wouldn't promote the 22-year-old to sit on the bench. He should get regular playing time, whether that's at second base or shortstop.

Mariners shortstop prospect Nick Franklin has bulked up by adding an additional 35 pounds this offseason.

Franklin reported to camp last year at 6'1 and 180 pounds, and the organization wanted him to bulk up over the winter. He hit .287/.358/.430 with six homers and 16 steals across three levels in 2012, and could see significant time with the Mariners in 2013 with only Brendan Ryan blocking his path.

Mariners shortstop prospect Nick Franklin has returned to the lineup for Double-A Jackson after missing seven weeks with both a concussion and a case of food poisoning.

He returned with a bang, tripling in his first at-bat and adding and additional two more hits. Franklin, who was ranked at midseason by ESPN's Keith Law as the No. 40 prospect in baseball, is hitting .287/.358/.430 with six homers and 16 steals over 293 at-bats across three levels this year.

Mariners prospect infielder Nick Franklin has been placed on the disabled list with Double-A Jackson after being hit in the jaw with a bat on Monday night.

Franklin, 20, got hit by the back swing of another player. The good news is that he didn't suffer any fractures, but he was scheduled for more tests Tuesday. "He had some nausea, headaches and dizziness on the bus from Montgomery, but once he got off the bus it all subsided,'' said Pedro Grifol, the Mariners' director of minor-league operations. "It's being treated as a possible concussion. If it is a concussion, we'll take the proper organizational protocol. If it isn't, we're looking seven days at the minimum (the length of a minor-league DL stint)." Franklin was recently promoted to Double-A Jackson after batting .275 with five homers and 13 stolen bases over his first 64 games with High-A High Desert. He was ranked as the organization's No. 3 prospect by Baseball America over the winter.

Nick Franklin went 3-for-4 and hit his first homer for Single-A High Desert on Thursday.

Franklin hit 23 homers in the Midwest League, and he should be able to top that number this year if he stays at hitter friendly High Desert all season. More likely, he'll be in line for a promotion to Double-A by June or July.

Mariners general manager Jack Zdurienck confirmed Tuesday that prospect shortstop Nick Franklin will begin the season with High-A High Desert.

There was some talk that Franklin would begin the year at the Double-A level, but they won't push him too soon. "It's a good jump to AA at a young age,'' said Zduriencik. "We can always move him at some point in time if he has success. But you'd rather take the cautious route rather than rush a kid up there and find out he isn't ready. You'd rather he find some success at one level first, then reward him by promoting him to a higher level." Franklin, 20, batted .283/.354/.486 with 23 homers and 65 RBI with Single-A Clinton last season. The switch-hitting shortstop was recently ranked as the game's No. 53 prospect by Baseball America.

Mariners prospect Nick Franklin could begin the 2011 season at Double-A.

Franklin, a switch-hitting 19-year-old shortstop, belted 23 home runs in 129 games at low Single-A last season while also stealing 25 bases. He's a special talent and a big part of the Mariners' future, but the club is still weighing whether to simply promote him to high Single-A or to vault him all the way to Double-A Jackson. The M's are obviously fearful of pushing him too hard.

Low Single-A Clinton's Nick Franklin had two homers, a triple and a double in four at-bats on Saturday.

Franklin was the Mariners' first pick in the 2009 draft, going 27th overall. There were more questions about his bat than his glove last June, but he's gone about answering them by hitting .347 and slugging .600 in his first 75 professional at-bats.