Jun 25, 2019; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia Phillies third baseman Maikel Franco (7) celebrates the win with shortstop Jean Segura (2) against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports Eric Hartline
Maikel Franco and Jean Segura are once again teammates, but this time the two former Phillies infielders won't be managed by Gabe Kapler:
Maikel Franco has joined Leones del Escogido of the Dominican Winter League, according to Manager Albert Pujols.
Franco will be added to the roster this week and he will be reunited with Former Phillies INF Jean Segura.
— Phillies Tailgate (@philstailgate.bsky.social) November 24, 2024 at 10:44 AM
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According to Baseball Reference, Leones del Escogido is currently 17-10 in the 2024-25 season. In addition to Franco and Segura, the Albert Pujols-led club also features MLB veterans such as Ramón Laureano, Martín Maldonado and Jeurys Familia.
Segura has actually had a tremendous start to the campaign thus far, as he's hitting .356 with 14 RBIs and an .879 OPS. Segura hit a line drive home run Saturday:
We have another Jean Segura 💣
[image or embed]— Phillies Tailgate (@philstailgate.bsky.social) November 23, 2024 at 9:27 PM
Segura, now 34, didn't appear in the majors in 2024 after an ill-fated 2023 season in in which he posted just a .556 OPS for the Miami Marlins. He signed a minor-league deal with the Baltimore Orioles in August, but was released a few weeks later after hitting an unsightly .137 in 51 at-bats for the Triple-A Norfolk Tides. Never say never, but his MLB career is likely over.
It wasn't that long ago, though, that Segura was a productive offensive player for the Phillies. He hit .281 with a .755 OPS and a laser arm at second base across parts of four seasons in red pinstripes from 2019-2022.
Segura was teammates with Franco on the Phillies in 2019. Franco homered 102 times across parts of six seasons with the Phillies to open his career from 2014-2019. After being non-tendered by the Phillies following the 2019 season, Franco had stints with the Kansas City Royals, Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals. Franco also hasn't appeared in the majors since the 2022 season.
The 32-year-old Franco hit .222 with 10 home runs, 44 RBIs and a .611 OPS for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles in Japan in 2024, so like Segura, his career appears to very much be at a crossroads.
