Injured Polanco to travel with Phils to Miami

Placido Polanco is making progress in his recovery from lower back inflammation, but the third baseman will need a rehab assignment before returning to the Phillies, manager Charlie Manuel indicated prior to Saturday’s game.

Polanco took ground balls on Friday, played catch Saturday, and he’ll travel with the Phillies after they wrap up their homestand Sunday.

“He’s going to go to Florida with us tomorrow, and he’ll start working out with us,” Manuel said. “He’ll probably have to go out and play some, get some at-bats, I don’t know exactly when that will be but he’ll be down there in Miami with us.”

Polanco still isn’t fully healthy. It’s a nagging injury that has kept him out of action since July 23.

“He has good days and bad days,” Manuel admitted. “He can go three or four days and feels fine, but he feels some pain now and again.”

Polanco is batting .255 with a .300 on-base percentage this season. Since reaching a high watermark of .294 on June 4, Polanco is 19 for 103 (.184).

In his three years with the Phillies, Polanco has seen yearly decreases in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, runs, home runs and steals.

Kevin Frandsen has started in Polanco’s place lately. Frandsen was hitting .342 heading into Saturday night, when he made his 12th straight start at the hot corner.

E-mail Corey Seidman at cseidman@comcastsportsnet.com.