Philadelphia Phillies second baseman Cesar Hernandez has been confirmed as the starter for the remainder of the season by interim manager Pete Mackanin. Hernandez had been filling in at third base for the injured Maikel Franco, but will return to second base now that Chase Utley has been traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said he assumes Hernandez will remain the Phillies starting second baseman after Chase Utley returns from the disabled list, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Hernandez extended his hitting streak to 12 games with a 1-for-4 performance Tuesday. He is hitting .301/.386/.383 with a home run and 12 stolen bases. He should continue to be an asset in batting average and stolen bases over the remainder of the season.

Hernandez went 2-for-5 with a run scored and a stolen base in Monday's loss to the Dodgers. The steal was Hernandez's 12th of the season, and his ninth since June 28. There have been whispers in Philadephia that he'll continue to see semi-regular time even after Chase Utley's eventual return from the DL, and the Phillies will continue to find ways to utilize him high in the batting order if he's reliably getting base on a good clip (.385 OBP).

Hernandez was 1-for-3 with a walk and one RBI in a losing effort against Atlanta on Friday night. His RBI single accounted for the Phillies only run, and with Chase Utley expected to be out until at least late July, Hernandez figures to see fairly regular playing time for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, he lacks both power and speed, assets he would need to be fantasy relevant in all but the deepest fantasy leagues.

Interim manager Pete Mackanin said Hernandez "has proven that he deserves a chance to be the everyday second baseman" for the Phillies, the team's official site reports. Whether Hernandez actually gets that opportunity is another matter. Chase Utley is currently sidelined with a sore ankle, but is expected to return to the team. It seems unlikely that Utley would return as a reserve, but he may have to settle for a time share with Hernandez at second.

Hernandez started at second for both games of the Phillies' doubleheader against the Nationals on Sunday and went 6-for-8 with a run scored and three stolen bases. Hernandez is hitting .395 in his last 12 games with six multi-hit games during that stretch. He has some short term value with Chase Utley on the disabled list, and if he keeps hitting he may be able to carve out a share of the playing time at second after Utley returns.

Hernandez will see regular playing time at second base while Chase Utley (ankle) is sidelined, CSN Philadelphia reports. Utley was placed on the 15-day disabled list on Tuesday with right ankle inflammation. Hernandez is is 8-for-20 over his last five games. He is worth a look in deeper leagues as a short term play while Utley is sidelined. He makes good contact, and while his stolen base numbers were down last year, he did steal 32 bases in the minors two seasons ago.

Manager Ryne Sandberg said he would like to get Hernandez more playing time, the Phillies' official site reports. Hernandez started at second base Sunday and went 1-for-5 with two RBI. The Phillies have been reluctant to give Hernandez much time at short as he is a downgrade defensively from Freddy Galvis. He has started four of the last seven games at second, but that was due in part to Chase Utley being used at first base and DH earlier in the week. It remains to be seen if Sandberg is willing to sit the slumping Utley with more regularity to get Hernandez into the lineup.

Hernandez got a start at shortstop Friday and went 1-for-6 with a strikeout in the Phillies' extra inning loss to the Pirates. Both Freddy Galvis and Chase Utley are slumping, but Hernandez hasn't been able to take advantage as he's hit just .139 over his last 15 games. He'll continue to see occasional starts around the diamond as the Phillies' primary utility infielder.

Hernandez will take over at third base after Cody Asche was optioned to Triple-A on Monday, the Philadelphia Inquirer reports. Hernandez's stint as a starter will likely be short lived. The Phillies are expected to bring Maikel Franco up from Triple-A as soon as this weekend. Hernandez has hit .250/.383/.271 with a stolen base in 48 at-bats this season.